


Inseparable

by Jarl_Deathwolf



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Ladynoir July, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-06-02 09:50:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 45,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19438981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarl_Deathwolf/pseuds/Jarl_Deathwolf
Summary: One year as Chosen of the Miraculous and with little to show for it except scars and memories.With powerful akumas becoming a greater threat everyday, Master Fu has decided that the time for keeping Ladybug and Chat Noir at arm's length is over. They will need his guidance if they are going to win the war, but even more importantly, they will need each other. A simple plan to make them better heroes quickly turns into something more as Ladybug and Chat Noir are drawn ever closer to each other.Regardless of whether they are just friends or something more, one thing remains the same - these two are inseparable.(Story for Ladynoir July, chapters based around daily prompts)





	1. Miraculouses

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my take on Ladynoir July, Inseparable! My first experience with the full Love Square months (plus Marinette March) has been a great time, and I fully intend to end it with as good a story as I can! I hope you'll enjoy

The streets were dark and cold when Marinette sailed over them with the use of her yoyo. While she liked the rainy late summer nights just before school started, she much preferred experiencing them while she was indoors. Maybe curled up in a heap of blankets and reading a book by lamplight. But a glance at the abandoned streets made it clear why Master Fu would choose now, of all nights, to finally answer her. 

Marinette had been hoping that Master Fu lend her some sort of more lasting help in the fight against Hawkmoth. Temporary power ups and heroes of the day were nice and all, but the intensity they’d been facing recently had meant that those sometimes weren’t an option. Even as she tried to not get her hopes up, she wondered what the old guardian had in store for her. He was good about throwing curve balls at her, of offering aid in unexpected ways.

There was barely a thought spared for the route she was taking. As the only one of the pair allowed to meet with the Guardian, this meant she visited him frequently. Or, at least, as frequently as one met with a reclusive, centuries-old hermit. Her arms and legs had long since committed the paths to memory. Even the extra ones routes, added just to throw off anyone who might be watching her too closely. The loose tiles, the strong hand holds, the best places to swing across. All remembered without needing to bother her brain with the details. 

The quaint little shop that Master Fu operated out of was lit like a beacon, calling to her from the rain and fog. With as little noise as possible, she slipped in through the back after being sure no one was watching her. Traditionally it was at this point that, safe and secure inside the master’s home, she would drop her transformation and meet with him without a mask getting between them. This time, however, his message had been very clear about her staying as Ladybug for the duration of the visit. 

The reason why became obvious when she opened a sliding door to see Chat Noir sitting by himself at the familiar low table, helping himself to the hot tea and cookies set out for them. Just as quickly as she noticed him, he turned his head to look at her, cheeks puffed out with stolen cookies and eyes wide. He swallowed heavily while maintaining eye contact.

“Please don’t tell Master Fu I ate all his cookies.”

Despite her shock at seeing him here, she couldn’t help but giggle. He was her silly kitty, as always. She settled down next to him and took a sip of the tea in front of her. Chat pushed the nearly-empty cookie basket towards her and she looked up to see him guiltily rubbing the back of his neck.

“If I’d known you were coming, I would have left you more than that.” He flashed her a meek smile. “Sorry.”

She took a bite of her cookie, but before she could ask him why he was here, the door leading deeper into the shop opened. Master Fu entered, with Wayzz floating near his shoulder. 

“Greetings, young ones.” He sat opposite to them and inclined his head. “We have much to discuss concerning our fight against Hawkmoth.” If he didn’t have their attention before, he had it now. Both of them watched intently as he stroked his beard. “Our enemy is starting to unlock new depths of power to his miraculous. If we continue as we are, then we will be overwhelmed.”

“What can we do to fight him, Master? We still don’t have any leads.” Marinette bit down on the last of her cookie irritatedly. “All we can do is contain him.”

“And even that is getting harder,” Chat Noir chimmed in. “More akumas with weirder powers almost makes it feel like he’s experimenting with what he can do.” Chat frowned and flexed his claws. “Wish we could do that,” he grumbled.

“That is why I have brought you both here today. Our foe is strong, but alone. He lacks the bond that you two share - both as partners, and as wielders of the Cat and Ladybug miraculouses. While our opponent must learn through trial and error, you can be taught and trained.” Master Fu rubbed a thumb idly over his jade bracelet. “I have long years of experience with being one of the chosen, in addition to my duties as a Guardian.”

“Training…?” Marinette blinked. “That sounds great, but why now? Couldn’t we have used this even earlier?”

Master Fu hung his head sadly. “Yes, that is true. Previously, my desire for secrecy meant that I limited my contact with you two. Over the last few months and frequent visits from you, Ladybug, I have decided that those precautions are no longer necessary.”

Chat Noir perked up. “Does that mean-”

“No. The secret identities must remain in place. We must only part with such things when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, we will unduly expose ourselves.”

Chat’s ears drooped. “Yes, master. So what _are_ we going to be doing?”

“Training sessions - martial and meditative, to make your minds as potent weapons as your bodies. Extra patrols, to deepen the already strong bond between the two of you. That would be the nature of what I ask from you.”

“I… see…” Chat had a faraway look in his eyes, as if doing mental math. He turned to her and leaned in close. “What do you think, bugaboo?”

Pushing him away by the nose, she replied, “First, quit it with the bugaboo.” She glanced towards Fu, then back to her partner. Time and place, Chat. She shrugged. “It might be hard to find the extra time, but I’m willing to try.”

Chat nodded. “Then that’s my answer too.”

“Excellent.” Master Fu rose to his feet. “Once I have devised some sort of schedule, I will let the both of you know immediately. For now, I will let you return home. It is late, and I’m sure the both of you are tired.”

As if on cue, Marinette yawned. “Right. We’ll head straight home, Master Fu.”

\--------------------

Later, the two of them were looking out at the rain from their spot in an archway at Notre Dame’s towers. Ladybug was seated opposite him, still smiling softly from the joke he’d cracked on their way here. There was a companionable silence between them, a stillness that they didn’t often get when they had time together. Maybe these extra patrols would be worth the loss of sleep, even if his make up artists would have to put in more time to erase the bags under his eyes. 

Ladybug glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes. “I see you staring, Chat. What’s on that kitty brain of yours?”

“What?” He feigned innocence. “Can I not simply admire your beauty?”

“You can, but I would have thought those hundreds of pictures of me that you have on your baton would be enough.” She raised an eyebrow with a smile as a rare blush rushed to his cheeks. That had been an embarrassing afternoon for him. Despite her relentless teasing, she had been surprisingly alright with it. Maybe she wasn’t so innocent of it herself?

“It’s like I told you, that must have been Hawkmoth’s doing. No doubt he was trying to ruin my good name.”

“Oh? So you deleted the pictures then?”

“Of course not. Even if I didn’t put them there, how could I _pawsibly_ remove such gorgeous images from my baton? It’d practically be a crime.”

She giggled. “If you say so, Chat.” Her smile faded a little as she looked into the rain. “Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in the future.”

“Looks like it.” He stepped away from the wall and took a seat next to her. “Whatever it takes to beat Hawkmoth, I guess.”

“You don’t sound too thrilled about it, kitty. Already getting tired of me?”

“Never,” he replied instantly. “He wants us to grow closer, to strengthen the bond between us and our miraculous. But he doesn’t want us to do it naturally. There is still a wall that we aren’t allowed to break down.”

“Our masks,” she sighed. This was a battle she was getting tired of fighting. “We’ve been over this, Chat…”

“I know, I know, but Master Fu has practically admitted that secrecy is only hurting us now. And yeah, it is his demand, but we’re the ones out there fighting, risking everything. Don’t we at least deserve this much? And come on,” he nudged her shoulder playfully, a grin on his face as he waggled his eyebrows. “You must have wondered who this handsome partner of yours is?”

It might have just been his imagination, but he could almost swear he saw a bit of red dusting her cheeks around the mask. 

“Besides that last part, you’ve got a point.” She stood up, twirling her yoyo. “How about we start small? My favorite color is pink.”

“Blue,” _the color of the eyes that haunts my dreams._

“See? Now we’re on our way to knowing everything about each other.” She flashed him a smile and sailed away. 

Even though he knew she was just kidding, he felt the truth of her words in his soul. Holding this newfound knowledge close to his heart, he made his way home. Although only a few minutes had passed since she left, he was already looking forward to the next time he would see her.


	2. Civilian Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back in school, Marinette arrives to class exhausted from a late patrol.

Marinette shambled after Alya, the best speed she could manage after being up so late last night. They hadn’t intended to be patrolling that late, or at least she hadn’t. It was just… nice, spending some quality time with Chat Noir. His jokes were much more tolerable when they weren’t in immediate danger. 

The rest of the class was already present - not unusual, since Marinette always cut it close and Alya tried to wait for her so they could go in together. No one really paid much attention to their arrival, except for the two boys that they had to walk past to get to their places. While Nino finger gunned a greeting to them, Adrien flashed a weak smile and waved. It was enough to perk Marinette up a little and she smiled and waved back at him. 

That was when she noticed he seemed a little… rumpled, compared to his usual perfect appearance. His hair was just a little untamed, shirt a bit askew. There was a hint of bags to his eyes. Was he tired too? Busy staring at him, Marinette stumbled, prompting a flurry of giggles from the class. Ears burning, she rushed to her spot. Hopefully, he didn’t notice. Even though it happened right next to him. 

They sat down at their usual spots and Marinette rested her head against their shared desk, using her backpack as a pillow. An awful pillow, but better than the wood at least. She heard Alya sigh beside her and felt a comforting pat on her back.

“Up late again?” Alya asked, sympathy in her voice.

“Yeah… You know how it is, once I get started on those designs it’s hard to stop!” It bothered Marinette how easy the lie came to her, but what else could she do? No one could know.

Alya frowned. “I guess, but this the third time this week, girl! And you _still_ won’t let me see what you’ve been working on.” 

In front of them, she saw Adrien tilt his head curiously and turn to face them. Whatever he was going to say was lost when Ms. Bustier walked through the classroom doors and the last bell went off. 

“Good morning, everyone!” A moderately enthusiastic greeting sounded back at her. “Now that we’re a week back into the new school year, I think it’s time to tell you our big project for the semester!”

Marinette missed most of the details of the project as she struggled to stay awake, but her sleep deprived brain caught a few facts - it was a big, semester long project. Not too bad, even though it would be hard to juggle with her new duties. Second, they would be working in pairs. Immediately, she felt a rush of giddiness. A whole semester working with Alya, renown ace researcher, and fully understanding if Marinette couldn’t help a lot? Perfect! 

Those hopes were quickly dashed to pieces when Ms. Bustier finished by telling them that she had randomly assigned partners. If the best she could hope for was Alya, then her worst choice was Chloe - practically anyone would be better. Now fully awake, she listened to the pairs being called out like the ominous tolling of bells. 

“Alya and Nino!” Marinette gave thumbs up to Alya, happy that she got to work with her boyfriend for once, but secretly worried now that her best choice was taken from her. 

Slowly, the rest of the class was paired off, most people being landed with someone that they rarely interacted with - Max and Ivan, Sabrina and Kim, etc. Were these names really random, or was Ms. Bustier trying to be sneaky? She was still listening for her own name when Chloe was called.

“Chloe…” The brief moment hung in the air as Marinette tensed up. “...and Rose!”

She relaxed, but struggled to remember who was left. Thoughts moving as sluggishly as they were, Marinette didn’t have time to speculate before the last pair was called out.

“Marinette and Adrien! Now, will you all please move to sit by your new partner.”

Her heart did a backflip and Alya playfully punched her shoulder. She whispered, “Go get him, girl!”

Marinette got to her feet hesitantly and switched spots with Nino. Her eyes were firmly fixed in front of her as she sat stock still beside him. She jumped at his hand on her shoulder. 

“Are you okay, Marinette? I’m sure Ms. Bustier will let you switch partners if you don’t feel comfortable.” The sympathy in his voice drew her attention and she could see the slight hurt in his eyes. She pushed down her discomfort to flash a smile at him.

“N-no! You’re good, I mean, I’m good! Not that you’re not good, you’re great.” She cleared her throat and took a breath. “I… I’m excited to work with you is all.”

She glanced back at him to see his patient smile blossom into a cheerful grin. “I’m glad to hear it, since I’m super glad I got assigned with you. I know that whatever we do, it’ll be awesome!”

The murmur of conversation died down as Ms. Bustier started the lesson in earnest, and so did the buzz Marinette felt from Adrien’s praise. Before long, she found herself nodding off. She awoke with a jolt and quickly looked around to see if anyone had noticed.

Beside her, Adrien’s eyes were shut, his face a serene mask. Despite everything in her wanting to just take in that angelic expression for a while longer, Ms. Bustier wouldn’t be distracted for much longer. She nudged his arm and his eyes fluttered. 

When he realized what had happened, he nodded appreciatively at her and whispered, "Thanks. I'll order us some coffee for lunch. I get the feeling we're going to need it."

For the rest of the period, they diligently watched out for each other and kept themselves awake. Maybe they’d make a good team after all.


	3. Patrol

It was getting late again, but Adrien didn’t mind. As far as he was concerned, a night spent running across the rooftops of Paris with his lady by his side was a night well spent. He knew it wouldn’t last much longer though. The patrol was effectively over since they were sitting down, leaning as much against each other as they were the chimney behind them. Hoping to buy time - even if it were just a few extra minutes with her - he struck up another conversation.

“We’re starting training with Master Fu tomorrow, right?” When she hummed her approval, he continued, “Any idea what we’re going to be doing? Personally, I have no idea how he intends to improve on this specimen of feline perfection.” He flexed and winked at her. “But I’m sure you’ll find it useful, m’lady.”

She pulled away from him to raise her eyebrow at him. “Oh really? I’ll race you to the Eiffel Tower then, if you’re so confident in your abilities.”

“One condition: Loser has to tell the winner a fact about themselves.” He put on a confident grin as he leaned forward, their faces mere centimeters apart. “Unless you’d rather put a kiss on the line…?”

She pushed him back by his nose. “A fact is fine, kitty. You’re on.”

Before he could say anything else, she had pulled out her yoyo and thrown it in one smooth motion. He laughed and followed after her. “Hey, that’s cheating!” She took only a moment to look back at him and stick out her tongue. The race was on.

This was how patrols often went. A serious start that lead to boredom. Which lead into games - another thing that he loved about his lady was the competitive fire she had. She rarely turned down a challenge, but she also rarely _lost_ a challenge. Despite his best efforts, today ended up being one of those days. She landed at the top of the Tower only a few heartbeats before him. He bowed with a flourish.

“Once again, you have made me eat my words. You truly are the pinnacle of what we lesser humans aspire to be, my lady.” He looked back up at her to see her rolling her eyes. “Are you ready for your prize…?” He approached her with half-closed eyes, lips puckering.

She gently pushed him away by the face. “I seem to recall my ‘prize’ was a fact about you, kitty.”

He playfully bopped himself on the forehead. “Ah! My mistake. I could’ve sworn we decided on a kiss.” He crossed his arms and tapped his chin in thought. “Oh, I know. How about my favorite dish - Gnocchi!” At her curious look, he shrugged. Softly, he added, “My mom used to make them a lot, so they remind me of her.” 

There was a sudden awkwardness in the air and Adrien wished he would have said something funny instead. “Well, uh, anyway. ‘Night, LB!” As he turned away to leave, she caught his hand. 

“Wait, kitty.” He turned back to her and she smiled. “My favorite musician is Jagged Stone.”

Adrien felt giddy as a grin spread across his face. It was a small thing, but Ladybug trusted him with it. Ladybug winked and gave him a two fingered salute as she swung away. Adrien left not long after, an idea already forming in his head.


	4. Babysitting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir struggle to stay focused during their first 'training' session.

Marinette was the first of the duo to arrive at the shop. The space they had met in before had been cleared of furniture and in their place was three well worn cushions arranged in a triangle. One of them was already occupied by Master Fu, who opened his eyes at the sound of her closing the door behind her. He smiled welcomingly and beckoned for her to take a seat.

“Greetings, Ladybug. Are you prepared to begin your training?”

“I… think so?” She tentatively sat down on one of the cushions. “I guess we won’t be getting into martial practice today?”

Master Fu nodded, stroking his beard. “Indeed. I want to ensure you have inner peace and a stronger grasp on the mystical side of the miraculous, before we get into advanced combat techniques.” He crossed his legs and put his hands on his knees, palms facing up. “And the most effective way to achieve this is through meditation. Serene… calm… and detached.”

At that moment, the door was thrown open and Chat Noir burst in. He was grinning, a bundle of excited energy as he held a black plastic bag. Confusion briefly flickered across his face as he took in his surroundings, but that uncertainty evaporated when he laid eyes on her. Despite herself, she giggled at his sudden, excited arrival.

He stepped up to here and kneeled down next to her, presenting the gift to her as if it were a holy relic. “For you, my lady.”

Still smirking, she eyed him before peering into the bag. A shirt? She pulled it out, and smiled warmly as she realized it was a Jagged Stone shirt from his latest tour. She raised an eyebrow when she unfolded it and found out it was two sizes too big for her. When she looked back at Chat Noir, he seemed nervous.

“Sorry, m’lady.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s all I could get on such short notice. Do you… like it?”

She let him sweat for a few more moments before pulling him into a hug. “Of course I do! It’s a gift from Chat Noir himself - what’s not to love?” She could feel the tension leave his body as he returned the hug.

Off to the side, Master Fu cleared his throat. “If the two of you are finished… we ought to get started.” He gestured to the remaining seat and Chat Noir dutifully took his spot. The old master closed his eyes and resumed his meditative stance. “Now, do your best to follow my instructions. I do not expect you to accomplish this on your first try, so don’t worry if it does not readily come to you.”

After a few minutes of instruction, Marinette couldn’t stand it any more and opened her eyes, only to see Chat Noir staring right at her. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he looked away while pretending to whistle. Before long, his eyes were back on her and he waggled his eyebrows at her. She spared a glance towards Master Fu, whose eyes remained closed as he continued to speak. Looking back at Chat Noir, she had to suppress a peal of laughter when she saw the cross-eyed, scrunched up face that he was making at her. It came out like a snort and both of them straightened up and closed their eyes in a hurry. 

Master Fu stopped talking and Marinette opened her eyes slightly to see him looking between them suspiciously. Soon enough, he was talking again and Marinette let out a silent sigh of relief. That cat had almost gotten her in trouble! She opened her eyes again to glare at Chat, who was wearing a smug grin. He was pleased he’d managed to break through her stoic mask and-

She blinked, confused when she realized a similar smile had formed on her face. Briefly, it felt like she was borrowing his emotions. She looked back at him to see confusion - and some concern - on his face as well. Before they could do anything else, Master Fu sighed.

“It seems we will not be able to make much progress today.” He slowly got to his feet. “We will try again later, but I would ask you to take this more seriously next time. Do you understand, young ones?”

Both of them ducked their heads and replied in unison, “Yes, Master.”

“Very good. It is late, and I’m sure you are tired. Go home and get some rest.”

Once they were outside, she shared a lingering glance with Chat Noir before parting ways wordlessly. It was weird, but maybe it was nothing. It was just a passing feeling, after all. 

When she got home and dropped her transformation, Tikki yawned and lazily floated towards her usual spot on Marinette’s pillows. While she would have loved to immediately follow her kwami’s lead, she was still in her day clothes. She grumbled to herself about not changing beforehand, but as she reached for her pajamas, her hand passed over the Jagged Stone shirt Chat Noir had gotten her. Too large for a normal shirt... but just big enough for something comfy to wear to bed. 

Soon, she was drifting off, wrapped up in Chat Noir’s gift. She fell asleep thinking of her dorky partner, a smile on her face.


	5. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette goes over to Adrien's to start working on their school project.

Marinette stood in front of the gigantic double gates that led into the Agreste mansion. Her hands were strangling the straps of her backpack while she struggled to get the butterflies in her stomach under control. This was just a school project, she reminded herself. That’s all. Just working on a school project… with Adrien… for the next few hours… alone in his huge room. 

“Marinette.” She jumped at the sound of her own name, but quickly realized it was just Tikki talking to her from inside her purse. “You need to relax. I know it seems scary, but at least you’ll have something besides him to focus on. Everything will be fine - trust me!”

“R-right. Thanks, Tikki.” Marinette took a few deep, calming breaths. Even if they hadn’t gotten the hang of group meditation yet, some of what Master Fu had taught them was sticking with her. 

Just when she was starting to feel better, a woman’s voice sounded from somewhere on the gate. “Adrien tells me he is expecting you. You may come in now.” 

The gate opened enough for Marinette to squeeze in, then closed behind her. While she crossed their front yard, she wondered why they were so uptight with security. Hopefully they’d be easier on her in the future - otherwise, she might just need to invite Adrien over to her place. She blushed when she realized that would mean having Adrien in her room for hours at a time. Again. Maybe it was time to take down those posters for good. Or just most of them to make it easier to clean up and hide.

She nodded at Mr. Agreste’s secretary as Marinette passed by on her way to Adrien’s room. She hesitated for just a moment at his door before knocking. 

“Come in,” she heard him call from the other side.

The room was a lot like the last time she’d been there as Ladybug. It didn’t require a lot of acting on her part to be amazed at its size - even now, on her second viewing, she struggled to believe anyone could use that much space. Then again, even with the wide array of interests represented there - basketball, arcade games, a computer, a television and a climbing wall - it still felt bare. Maybe Adrien really _couldn’t_ use it all. 

Speaking of the boy, he turned toward her from where he was seated on his swivel chair and sent her a smile that brought the butterflies back in full force. He began walking towards her.

“Marinette! I’m glad you made it.” He stopped a respectable distance away from her, still smiling with his hands behind his back. “I know it’s been pretty rough working around our schedules - well, mostly mine - but I’m more than prepared to begin.”

She gave him a nervous smile in return. “Let’s great! That’s get started!” She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment and tried again, slowly. “That’s great. Let’s get started.” 

When she looked again, he was still standing there as if nothing had happened. “Cool!” He grabbed a chair from against the wall and pulled it to his desk. She tentatively sat down beside him when he returned to his swivel chair and looked at the computer. “So what do we have so far?”

“I, um… nothing.” He looked at her curiously. “Well, I haven’t had much time to research, so I… haven’t.”

His patient smile returned. “That’s okay. We can start from scratch together.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “So… I know this sounds bad, but I have no clue about what we’re doing. I was super tired from a…” His eyes blanked for a moment before refocusing. “Photoshoot! Yeah, it was a late one that day.”

Marinette thought back to the Adrien schedule in her room, but couldn’t remember him having a photoshoot that day. Maybe she just didn’t think it was worth writing down? After all, she had a patrol with Chat Noir that day, so it’s not like the info would’ve been helpful to her anyway.

Adrien cleared his throat and she realized she’d zoned out. “Anyway… so I’m not super sure on what we’re supposed to be doing. Have any ideas?”

“Well, I… was actually really tired too.” She saw his questioning look and shrugged. “Stayed up way too late finishing a design.” 

“Oh! Knowing you, it must be pretty awesome.” She flushed at the compliment as Adrien continued. “But that means neither of us knows what this project is about and have no idea where to start.”

There was an awkward silence while they considered this. Marinette’s eyes widened as she pulled out her phone. “Oh! I’m sure Alya knows! I’ll text her so she can tell me.”

“Good plan! I’ll do the same for Nino.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “And if they don’t know, at least we’re in good company, right?”

“Y-yeah!” She pressed the send button and waited expectantly. As the seconds dragged into minutes, Marinette got worried before she remembered something and face palmed. 

“What? Did something happen?” 

“I completely forgot, they’re on a date! It’ll probably be like an hour before they can get back to us!”

Adrien seemed worried for a moment before shrugging. “Well, I guess there’s nothing we could do for now then.”

Resigned, she grabbed her backpack and stood up. So much for quality time with Adrien…

“Where are you going?”

Marinette blinked at him. “Well… I figured, uh, since we couldn’t do anything that meant you wanted me to…?”

“Oh. No, I was just saying we can do something else while we wait. Maybe Mecha Strike? Or, um,” he backpedalled when he saw her predatory smile. “Maybe _co-op_ Mecha Strike? I never got to play that since I’ve never had anyone else to play with.”

Her heart went out to him. She couldn’t imagine having a family that couldn’t sit around the television and wail on each other in the virtual world. 

She stood up, towering over him as much as her tiny self could. “Well, you’re going to get to play it today! Let’s show those co-op levels who's boss!”

His surprise quickly evaporated, replaced by giddiness as he rushed over to the couch and started getting the game set up. On shaky legs, she followed after him and got comfortable. It took her a couple hours to beat all those levels with her dad, and she thought they made a pretty good team. No doubt Alya or Nino would respond before they beat the campaign mode.

\--------------------

“Boost me! Boost me!” They were so close, they couldn’t afford to be beaten because of some rookie mistake now. 

“I’m doing my best, boss!” With Adrien’s help, she reached the vulnerable spot on the main villain, wailing on it for all it was worth. 

They both let out a whoop of victory when it began exploding, showering the both of them in experience orbs - useless now that the campaign was over, but _man_ did it feel good to see anyway. 

Reflexively, she held out her fist to him, which he obliged. “Pound it!,” they said at the same time. Both of them looked sheepish for a moment, and for Marinette it wasn’t just because she shared a fist bump with Adrien. 

“I, uh, I’m a big fan of Ladybug and Chat Noir,” he said, as if apologizing. 

“M-me too.”

“Uh, so… It looks like we make a great team…” His eyes sparkled with mischief, “...boss.”

She leaned back into the couch and groaned, controlling slipped from her fingers while she did so. “When did you even start calling me that? I didn’t notice until, like, two villains ago.”

He shrugged. “I dunno. You kept giving me orders, so I just rolled with it.”

“Sorry,” she said as she leaned away.

“No, that’s fine,” he laughed. “I’m fine being told what to do, and if it meant that I actually won for once, then I’m all for it.” He leaned back as well, though he seemed much more relaxed than she felt. “Wow, how long did that take us? It didn’t feel like more than ten minutes!”

Marinette had already pulled out her phone to check if Alya had responded. Her mouth went dry when she noticed the time. “Uh… a little under an hour.”

“That’s awesome! We should do this again sometime.” 

She giggled as she started reading the attachment Alya had sent her labeled ‘Instructions for Sleepy Designers.’ “S-sure. I’d like that.” She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “As long as we do our homework first.”

He sighed in mock disappointment. “Yes, boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not have been inspired to use 'boss' as a term of endearment because of ladyblarg on tumblr's Chouette work. I highly recommend it - it isn't exactly ML, but it is inspired by it and I love it to pieces.


	6. Lucky Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir meets up with Ladybug for patrol.

Adrien sat on the Eiffel Tower, looking out over the city that he had promised to protect. The city glowed when the sun went down, as if the stars of the night sky had been taken down and scattered across it. These were still moments where he simply got to enjoy being a superhero - the times that quieted all his doubts and misgivings about being chosen. While he enjoyed the brief solitude, he was even happier when it was over since that meant-

“Hey, Chat.”

There was already a smile on his face when he turned to face Ladybug as she walked over to him. She took a seat beside him and took in the landscape that he’d been admiring. However, now his attention was focused on an entirely different, but equally beautiful, view. 

If she noticed, she didn’t seem to mind. “You must have been distracted if you couldn’t hear me coming. What were you thinking about?”

“Honestly? Not much of anything.” He chuckled and leaned back. “It’s a nice change of pace.”

“Really? I didn’t realize thinking _too much_ was a problem you had,” she teased. “In fact, I’d say you usually have the opposite issue…”

He put his hands against his heart and dramatically swooned against a metal strut. “Ah! You wound me, m’lady. How much abuse must this poor cat endure?”

She snorted. “Laying it on thick tonight, I see. Well, if that’s how you’re going to be, you definitely won’t be getting your present…” 

Blinking, he stumbled to his feet to follower her when she stood up. “Wait, what? You have a present? For _me_?!”

“No, for my other superhero partner.” She flicked his bell. “Yes, _you_. But I’ll only give it to you if we can actually get tonight’s patrol done on time. I have a lot of civilian work to get done.”

“Then what are we waiting for?!” He took a running leap off the Eiffel Tower, Ladybug’s laughter drowned out in the wind as he tried to go for the record of fastest patrol of Paris they’d ever done.

For most of the route, Ladybug was in the distance behind him. No matter how far ahead he got, he always made sure that he didn’t lose sight of her - prize or no, they were still partners and they were patrolling _together_. At least, that’s why he was slowing down at first. By the time they made it back to the Eiffel Tower, it was more because he’d pressed even his superhuman endurance to the limit. Upon reaching their starting point, he collapsed onto the floor and rolled over onto his back.

He was still breathing heavily when he saw Ladybug’s legs come into view, then her face as she crouched down next to him. There was amusement in her voice, but concern in her eyes.

“Kitty, that was too much, even for you. I would’ve been fine arriving a little late. But now we’re done half an hour early.” She sighed and sat down cross legged next to him. “Now I just feel silly since the present isn’t even worth all that,” she grumbled.

Through his exhausted panting, he replied, “Its… from… you. Definitely worth… it.”

The embarrassed, but touched, smile she gave him was certainly worth how his lungs were burning right now. She pulled out her yoyo and reached into it, accessing the magical miraculous storage. 

The bracelet she handed him wasn’t anything extraordinarily expensive or unique - the string was solid, but generic, and about half the charms could be described the same way. But the other half - most of them represented important akumas they’d fought. A boulder for Stoneheart. An ice cream cone for Glaciator. An hourglass of sand for Sandboy. All of them were painted in Ladybug’s colors, with the string black with lime highlights. But the most important charms were the cat’s paw and cartoon ladybug in the middle, right next to each other. While the other meaningful charms were separated by filler, there was nothing getting in between those two.

By now, he was sitting up and his breathing was back under control. “Aw, bugaboo… it’s awesome!” He slipped it on his wrist.

She let out a sigh of relief. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Like it?! I love it! I’m going to wear it everyday.”

“Please don’t.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “You can wear it as Chat, sure, but…”

“...but identities and secrets and yeah yeah, I get it.” He ran his fingers over the two main charms. “That’s alright,” he said with a wink, “I’ll be happy to have my very own lucky charm whenever we fight an akuma.”

“That’s the spirit.” She pulled out her yoyo and winked at him. “Night, kitty. Don’t stay up too late.”

He waved until she was out of sight, then pulled out his baton and headed home.


	7. Bad Luck Charm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir reciprocates Ladybug's gift. Or at least, he tries.

A couple days passed in a blur - classes getting into the swing of things, the days were getting colder and shorter, akumas were beaten back. Before Marinette knew it, the time had come for another patrol with her favorite partner. The way to the Eiffel Tower was very familiar to her and she let her muscle memory take her there while she let her mind wander. 

It was rough getting any time alone with Adrien. She had always known his schedule was packed, but it was one thing reading that on a calendar and another thing entirely trying to squeeze into his schedule herself. Finally, they had managed to get a group study session going with Alya and Nino at the library. While Marinette was trying to focus on what they were actually going to do with that hard won time, Alya hadn’t helped by comparing it to the double dates they were sure to have once Marinette ‘snagged Hot Stuff for herself.’ 

She let civilian concerns fall to the side when she finally sees Chat Noir on their usual meeting spot. Not sitting, as he often defaults to when he waits for her, but pacing. Briefly, she wonders if there is anything wrong, but the moment she lands he turns toward her with a big smile. If she was being honest with herself, seeing his face light up every time he saw her for patrol was the main reason she had never skipped them. A year of patrols hadn’t caught more than maybe two akumas, but it always seemed the highlight of his day.

His tail was sweeping back and forth excitedly as he walked closer to her. He stopped within arm’s reach of her and gave a bow. “Evenin’, my Ladybug.” He reached into his pockets, tongue poking out as he searched for something. “I’ve got something for you!”

“That’s sweet of you, Chat, but we have patrol. You can wait until after-”

He pulled his hand out of his pocket and thrust it towards her. “Ta-da!”

She blinked and took a step back to focus on what he was holding. It took her a moment, but she realized it was probably meant to be a matching bracelet for the one she had made for him. But there was definitely… a difference in bracelet-making skill levels. A difference made all the more glaring since he was proudly wearing his bracelet on the hand that was holding out the one meant for her. 

The charms were bunched together, the red thread was inexpertly tied, and the lime green paint on the charms obscured some of the finer details. It all spoke to a lack of practice on the part of its maker. But somehow? That just made it all the more endearing to her. It wasn’t well made, but it was earnest and he clearly tried his best. She slid the bracelet on her wrist with a smile and nodded to her partner.

“Thanks. Looks like we’re a matching pair now.”

He smirked at her. “We didn’t need bracelets to tell us that.”

“I guess we didn’t,” she whispered. More loudly, she said, “Ready to start patrol?”

“Of course!”

Marinette enjoyed taking the lead most of the time, but during the night was when Chat Noir was at his best. What that meant for tonight was that he didn’t see the first couple instances where her timing was just a hair off, when she stumbled on landings or had tiles slide out from underneath her. It didn’t take too long for him to catch on. The first time, he grinned at her - the very pinnacle of grace, tripping? Inconceivable to him, but very familiar to her. It was the next couple fumbles that had him looking towards her worriedly. 

He waited for her on a rooftop and put a hand gently on her arm. “LB, are you alright? You’re scaring me out there.”

She waved him off, “Yeah, I’m alright. I just feel a little… off, is all.” She grinned at him and adopted a fake chastising voice. “You didn’t happen to give me a _bad_ luck charm, did you?”

He snorted before pretending to be shocked. “Oh no! You’re right! I used my cursed thread to make it, and then I rubbed my natural bad luck all over it.” He shook his head. “How could I be so stupid.”

“Aw, don’t beat yourself up too much, Chat. I’m sure my good luck will cancel it out sooner or later.” 

“Right, right,” he laughed. “Do you want to call it here, then? I don’t want to be responsible if you break your neck just because I gave you a bracelet.”

With a brief glance around her, she remembered where they were on the patrol route. It was mostly done anyway, and the city was as quiet as it usually was. There wouldn’t be any harm in ending early. 

“I’ll take you up on that just this once. Let’s not make this a habit, okay?” She winked at him and turned to leave.

“W-wait!” It was more the stutter that caught her attention than the word. She faced her partner again. “I was just wondering… we’re supposed to get closer right? So… what if we just… hung out? During the day?”

Marinette was skeptical. “Like a date?”

“No no no! Well, if you want…” He saw her expression. “Okay, fine. But like a friendship date! Just… hanging out. Talking. Chilling. Wearing disguises.”

She giggled. “Disguises?”

“Yeah!” He stood next to her, arm around her shoulders as he continued talking. “The two of us, transformed, maybe getting a coffee or ice cream or something. Wearing trench coats and ridiculously big sunglasses and hats.”

“Hats, huh?” She replied, intrigued despite herself.

“The most conspicuous hats you could ever imagine.”

“I don’t know about something that over the top…” He frowned. “...but I don’t think I’d mind spending an afternoon with you.”

He brightened up, clapping his hands together excitedly.

“Just remember - this is us _hanging out_. It is _not_ a date. You understand me, alley cat?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Loud and clear, bugaboo.”

She rolled her eyes at the nickname. “Any idea on a day?”

“I have no idea,” he admitted with a shrug. “My life is… hectic. But I’ll keep you up to date!” He took her hand and kissed it. “You won’t regret this!”

“Sure, Chat. Anything else?” He shook his head. “Then I’ll see you at the next patrol. Sweet dreams, kitty!”

As Marinette made her way back home, she couldn’t help but smile a little in excitement, the strangeness of the patrol mostly forgotten by the time she dropped her transformation at home.


	8. Homework

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang gets together to do research for the big school project.

“Sorry I’m late, guys!” Marinette said as she set her backpack on the table. A nearby librarian glared at her sternly and Marinette ducked her head in apology. 

“Don’t sweat it, girl. We haven’t been waiting that long.” Alya scooted her chair to the side, allowing Marinette to sit down beside her. 

As she was getting seated, Marinette looked across the table where Adrien was reading something on his laptop. As if he could feel her eyes on him, he glanced in her direction and smiled. 

“Hey, Marinette! I think I’ve found a few good sources to start with-”

“Oh, did _you_ find them, centerfold?” Alya said with a glare.

“That Alya found for us,” Adrien corrected without missing a beat and without breaking eye contact with Marinette. “Granted, most of them are articles from the Ladyblog, but they are a good starting point for the modern heroes of Paris.”

Marinette nodded along. The theme of the project had to be about connecting the present to the past - the more distant the better - with a focus on French history. While the natural decision for her and Adrien would have been fashion design, Ms Bustier encouraged everyone to study outside their area of expertise. In practice, this meant that Marinette and Alya had simply swapped interests so they could help each other out if they got stuck. Clearly, it was already working out.

Now, Marinette would have preferred not doing superheroes at all, and not just because it felt uncomfortably close to home, but also because she hadn’t heard of any previous French superheroes. When Adrien heard Alya’s suggestion, however, he had his heart set on it. She was sure she could have gotten him to choose another topic, but she didn’t want to disappoint him. Besides, she was curious too - she understood some of the powers of the other miraculous. Maybe that would secretly help her find past users where other people couldn’t?

“Well, if Adrien is doing the modern heroes…” The boy in question gave a thumbs up. “...Any ideas where to start with the past ones?” Marinette turned to Alya, who frowned.

“Hm… I’m not sure. You could either start with myths and legends, or you could start from like five years ago and work your way backwards.” Marinette nodded along. “That’s just what I would do, though. Did you bring the articles for me, girl?”

Marinette reached into her backpack and pulled up a few magazines with sticky notes in them. “I’ve picked out a few pieces on big name designers right now, as well as ones about trends going on, and some that talk about the history of certain things, like brands and materials.”

Alya grinned. “I knew you’d pull through for me, girl!”

“And how are you doing, Nino?” Marinette turned away from Alya as she got to work flipping through the magazine.

“Oh, totally awesome, dude. A lotta reading between what you and my bro sent me, but nothing I can’t handle. I’m just tagging stuff that looks cool for now until Alya pins down exactly what we want to study.” He gestured to the stack of reading material in front of him. “It’s not like the past has a shortage of stuff to talk about, ya know?”

Before Marinette could respond, the librarian came along again and shushed them. With mumbled apologies, they worked in silence for a few minutes before Marinette spoke up again.

“So, uh, Adrien?” The blonde boy looked up at her and she quickly looked back down at her tablet. “How’s the research on Ladybug and Chat Noir going?”

“Pretty good, boss,” he said with a smirk. The corners of her mouth quirked up as she rolled her eyes playfully. “There is plenty to work with thanks to diligent amateur journalists,” he added with a nod to Alya. “But we still need to figure out what we’re going to be focusing on here.”

“I know, and I’m working on it.” She sighed. “I just don’t know if I’ll be able to find anything…”

“Don’t worry! If there is anyone who can find it, I’m sure it’s you. You’re pretty awesome like that.” He finished with a wink and she hurriedly looked down at her tablet to hide her blush. 

They returned to their work, idly chatting while researching. Marinette noticed that more students were funneling in from their class and since Kim was with one of those groups, the librarian had his hands full keeping everyone quiet. An hour into their studying and Alya stretched out and yawned.  
.  
“Hey, M? I’m going to go get coffee for everyone. Come with?”

“Sure,” she glanced towards the boys. Nino read a text he just got and looked back up at her.

“Yeah, that sounds great. We’ll stay here and hold our seats.” Nino finger gunned at them. “Don’t be too long, ‘kay?”

After getting everyone’s orders, Alya and Marinette left for a nearby cafe. With lunch in full swing, there were plenty of other customers there. They got in line and Alya crossed her arms and looked at Marinette.

“Okay, girl. It’s just us. Spill.”

“Um… okay. Spill what?”

“You’re talking with Adrien! And with no stutters!” Alya gently shakes Marinette’s shoulder. “I’m proud of you, girl!”

“Thanks! I think it’s because I’ve gotten to spend more time with Adrien lately.”

“So… what? You’re getting acclimated to him or something?”

“Mostly that, yeah,” she conceded with a nod, “but it’s also like... I’m finding out what a huge dork he is.”

Alya rubbed her hands together in excitement. “Do tell. Spare me no details, girl.”

“Nothing major so far - he’s huge into Mecha Strike, and he has a cheesy sense of humor.” She smiled, thinking about how relaxed he became after they’d really gotten into the campaign mode. It was like he was an entirely different person than the one captured in magazines.

“Sounds like you two really are soulmates then,” Alya said with a knowing nudge. “Now, maybe you can tell me why he was calling you ‘boss’...?”

\---------------------------

“Hey, uh, bro. Not to make you feel weird or anything, but… why are you calling Marinette ‘boss’?”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck and felt his cheek heat up a little at Nino’s question. He’d forgotten that it was an inside joke between him and Marinette, forgotten how it might look strange to other people. 

“It’s kinda a long story and it isn’t a super funny story if you weren’t there. But it happened when we were playing video games in my room, waiting for you two to respond.”

“When you were playing... My dude, that just gives me more questions, but I’ll let it slide.” Nino scrolled through his social media on his phone. “So… you and Mari look like you’re pretty chummy now.”

“Yeah…” Adrien smiled, staring off into space. “She was one of my first friends, but we’ve never really gotten to hang out much, just the two of us. I think she’s finally starting to warm up to me.”

“Yeah? You know how else you could get some quality alone time with her?” Nino grinned and shot him a knowing look.

“What do you- Oh. You mean like…” Adrien glanced around nervously. His romcoms had taught him that the minute you start talking about feelings for someone, that person appeared and overhears the conversation. He whispered to be sure that only Nino could hear him. “...dating?”

Nino rubbed his forehead and sighed. “Yes, bro. I’m saying you should date Mari.”

“I don’t know, dude…”

“If this is about that mystery girl you keep talking about, you keep saying you haven’t made any progress with her. Maybe it’s time to move on?”

“But that’s the thing - I think she’s starting to fall for me! I just know it!” Adrien deflated. “Besides… even if she isn’t, what if Marinette doesn’t like me like that? I don’t want to ruin this friendship just because I jumped the gun.”

Nino shrugged. “I’m sure it’ll work out, but you do what you think is best, bro. I’m behind you one hundred percent.” He gently punched Adrien’s arm.

“Thanks, dude.”

Not long after, Alya and Marinette returned with coffee for all of them. Marinette and him only barely managed to meet each other’s gaze before blushing and looking away. A few minutes passed in silence before Alya suddenly sat up, looking alert.

“Babe, you okay?” Nino looked up at her in concern.

“Do you hear that?”

All four of them strained to listen, but they heard nothing. 

“No, I don’t-” Nino’s eyes widened as he suddenly realized that the library was quiet as the grave.

Adrien was looking wildly around as other students were starting to notice the silence as well. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw… something. Something very, very translucent, almost imperceptible.

“Akuma!” He hissed in a whisper.


	9. Helping Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally get an akuma battle in this Ladynoir story.

“Akuma!” Someone else shouted and the library exploded into activity. 

The crowd of students within the building turned into a mob rushing for the exits. While the noise was only a fraction of what he would expect from the hysteria he saw on the faces of people rushing past him, the room was filled with motion. Tables and chairs got upturned, shelves wobbled dangerously as something big and airborne brushed against them. In the chaos, Adrien let himself get ‘accidentally’ separated from his friends and made his way toward the bathrooms.

Before Adrien left, he checked to make sure they were all together and ended up locking eyes with Marinette. He winced at the panic he saw on her face when she realized he was falling behind, but there was no other choice. Ladybug needed him. Besides, if there was anyone he would trust to watch out for Alya and Nino, it was Marinette. Maybe she’d even be able to keep Alya from coming back in to film the akuma fight.

Adrien locked the stall door and pulled Plagg out from his backpack. To his complete lack of surprise, the kwami was still sound asleep, even with Adrien holding him by the scruff of his neck.

“Plagg. Plagg!” He whispered harshly. The kwami blinked his eyes open and yawned.

“Yeah? Aren’t you supposed to be studying or something with Pigtails?”

“Looks like Hawkmoth has other plans.”

“Eh, probably for the best. You wouldn’t be able to get anything done with all that romantic tension in the air anyway.” He scratched the back of his head. “You got any camembert?”

Rolling his eyes, Adrien didn’t reply and instead said, “Claws out!”

Adrien burst out of the bathroom and rushed back out into the main library section, staff at the ready. The room was completely devoid of any body else and eerily quiet. Maybe the akuma had followed the civilians out and was terrorizing Paris right now? Then he remembered the shifting bookshelves, the sight of something transparent out of the corner of his eye. Maybe the library wasn’t as empty as it looked. Creeping forward silently into the room, Adrien narrowed his eyes as he tried to find any sign of movement. Nothing.

On a whim, he tossed a nearby book across the room and watched it’s trajectory. It connected solidly with the wall, flying open to random pages and fell to the ground… completely noiselessly. From that area, he caught a brief sense of something moving and felt something thin but strong collide with his chest and send him hurtling back to crash into a bookshelf. Even as the texts around him silently dropped to the ground, he was already in motion. A good thing, since the books he had been sitting on were flattened. As the air rushed past him, he got a whiff of old paper and narrowed his eyes. His sense of smell was stronger as Chat Noir, but it didn’t compare to sight or hearing. Still, it was all he had to work with.

He took a deep breath and caught the familiar musty odor to his left and swung wildly toward it with his staff. While he didn’t get a reassuring grunt of pain, he _did_ hit something he couldn’t see and smiled. Maybe he’d be able to beat this thing before Ladybug even got here!

Something wrapped around his ankle and pulled him into the air. For once, he was grateful for the magical silence since it meant that no one would be able to hear his startled yelp. The room became a blur as he was shook around violently. Adrien lashed around with his staff before something ripped it from his grasp, leaving him with just his claws to try to free his leg. Each time he’d almost manage it, he’d be slammed into the floor, or a wall, or a bookshelf. The suit was absorbing most of the impacts, but they were starting to add up.

There was a flash of red and the akuma’s grip on him loosened. Thread wrapped around his waist and pulled him away from the bulk of his opponent, depositing him at the feet of none other than Ladybug herself. He took her offered hand gladly, pulling him up to his feet - one of which, he noted with alarm, was gone. Well, not visible, at least. He could still feel it and he was standing on it, so it must still be there, right?

He cleared his throat, satisfied to be able to hear something again. “ _Purr_ -fect timing as usual, bugaboo. Got any plans to help us pindown this pain in the tail?”

“We’re no strangers to invisible enemies. I’d bet my lucky charm has something we could use. Can you keep it away for a little while?”

“As you wish, m’lady.” 

He took a deep breath, getting a vague sense of where the akuma was, and charged forward with unaimed, wild swings. Sometimes he connected with something, but most of the swings hit only air. He glanced behind him to see Ladybug staring at a spotted bag and him. She shouted something that he couldn’t hear and threw the bag at him. Knowing instinctively what she wanted him to do, he struck the bag once it was over him and ducked out of the way as a cloud of what looked like flour dusted the space the akuma was in. The flour settled over the villain, giving Adrien his first good look at what he was up against.

The massive bulk he had expected failed to materialize. Instead, it looked like a generally normal looking person with tendrils that were broad and thin like paper. There were six such tendrils, two of which held the person aloft and the others which hovered protectively around them. The tendrils originated at the chest of the person, coming out of what looked like an open book. 

Once he noticed that, he shared a glance with Ladybug, who nodded. That must be where the akuma was hiding. When Adrien looked back at the akuma, the flour was disappearing. Not as if it were being wiped off, but more like it was turning invisible too.

“Freak out!” Adrien’s head whipped to the side, where Alya was filming from behind the cover of an overturned table. She grinned and waved at him when she noticed he’d seen her, but he could only grimace back. Now they needed to worry about keeping her out of danger - _them_ he corrected when he saw Nino poke his head out as well. Shrill beeping brought Adrien’s attention back to Ladybug - they were working on a timer now. 

Ladybug leaped onto a bookshelf and quickly glanced around the room. “Chat - I have a plan!” Adrien struggled to listen while extending his staff to fight the akuma at a distance. “Keep doing what you’re doing. You - Ladyblogger! Turn on the fire alarm.”

After giving that order, she landed next to him. “You can smell where they are, right?”

“Well, kinda.”

“Good enough for me. Get ready to rush them.”

She charged in and Adrien followed, both of them immediately on the defensive as they tried to block the invisible strikes. While Adrien wondered what her plan was, the sprinkler system went off, drenching the both of them. As the attack against them stopped, Adrien realized what had happened and rushed toward the akuma, his baton extended and held parallel to the ground. The baton collided with something and he rushed toward it to keep it pinned while Ladybug approached and fumbled for the book.

Soon enough, it was torn, an akuma was released, and everything was set right with the Ladybug Cure. A frazzled-looking librarian was left sitting on the floor, blinking owlishly as they clutched a well worn book.

“Pound it!”

“Good thinking, using the water to destroy the paper arms like that, m’lady.”

“Thanks, chaton. You weren’t too bad yourself.” She flicked his bell and giggled. The sound of her miraculous beeping out another warning cut their celebration short. “See you next time. Bug out!”

“Hang on - I wanted to let you know I found some free time. For us to hang out?”

“Oh, cool! When? And what are we going to do?”

“Next Friday afternoon. And, uh,” he glanced towards Alya, who was already moving towards them. “...I’ll tell you when we meet up. Just dress comfortably and you’ll be fine.”

“Usual meeting place?” They rushed outside, Ladybug’s yoyo already twirling.

“Sounds perfect to me,” he said with a smile as he watched her leave. Then he felt a hand on his arm and Alya’s voice from right behind him.

“I know you didn’t use your cataclysm today, Chat Noir, so don’t go trying to make excuses this time. I’m getting my interview today!”

Adrien sighed, too happy with his upcoming not-quite-a-date with Ladybug to put up a fight.


	10. Disguises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir hang out - no patrol, no akumas.

Adrien opened the package that had arrived for him, letting out a sigh of relief when he saw the clothes he had ordered. The online store had cut it about as close as possible; if this outfit hadn’t arrived today, he’d have to meet Ladybug in something from his usual wardrobe. While the Agreste line is (generally) good, it is not inconspicuous.

“Hey, kid. You still freaking out about this date or what?” Adrien looked up to where Plagg was sitting on the upper level of his bedroom, gnawing at his camembert in what was a leisurely pace for the kwami. 

“It’s not a _date_ , Plagg.” Although he wished it was. “We’re just spending some time together outside of our superhero duties. That’s all.”

“Yeah?” His voice got closer as he flew over to Adrien. “Looks like a lot of fussing and fidgeting for something that’s ‘just spending time together’, kid.” He shoved the remainder of his cheese wedge in his mouth. “If you want my advice-”

“I really don’t.”

“-then I’d say you should just relax. It’s not like Ladybug can think of you as any bigger a dork.”

“Thanks, Plagg,” Adrien drily commented. “But I need this to go well if she’ll ever agree to do it again. This might be my one chance to just have a relaxing day with her - no patrols, no superheroics, no villains. Just me and her, eating ice cream and talking.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. It’ll be fine, kid.” When Adrien continued to pace and wring his hands, Plagg flew in front of him. “Hey. Listen to me: You don’t need to worry. You and Ladybug are already friends - you’re closer than you think you are.” Plagg smirked, as if there was a joke only he knew about. “Now just calm down. It’s still a few hours before your date or whatever you want to call it.

Taking deep breaths, Adrien reigned himself in. “You’re right. I bet Ladybug isn’t freaking out like I am.”

“That’s the spirit, kid. Now onto more important matters - like my camembert.”

\------------------------------------

“Tikki!” Marinette whined. “What am going to wear when I meet up with Chat?”

Traditionally, Marinette could send pictures to Alya and get feedback about her outfit, but how would she explain what it was for this time? She didn’t want to lie to her best friend any more than she had to, and this definitely didn’t fall into the necessary category. But that still left her without any moral support from her friends. Support which she was surprised she needed. And why did she?! It was Chat Noir! The person she trusted more than anyone, her best friend besides Alya! Why should she be so nervous for something so casual?

Tikki finally appeared in front of the mountain of clothing, tiny forehead creased in concentration. “You don’t intend to wear _all_ of this… do you?”

The idea was almost appealing, if it at least meant she could decide on something. But no matter how chilly the autumn evenings were getting, arriving in seventeen layers, including four scarves and three hats, would be out of place. 

“I’m just teasing, Marinette. Let’s make a few outfits out of this and see which one we like best, okay? We’ll take it one step at a time.” With Tikki patiently helping Marinette decide on what she wanted, they ended up with three complete outfits. “Okay, now - which of these speaks the most to you?”

Marinette ran her eyes over all of them, but it was the middle one that she kept turning back to. She placed a hand on the black fabric of the hoodie - she remembered fruitlessly searching for a good Chat Noir themed hoodie months ago, but none of them really did her partner justice. So she’d bought a black hoodie and made her own, with the cat ears sewn on the hood, and the word, ‘Meowvelous’ embroidered onto the chest. It made her smile to look at, since she knew how much he would love to see it. 

The rest of the outfit was just as good, even if she didn’t have a hand in making it - a long skirt, a baseball cap, and the Chat Noir sunglasses. The lime green scarf she _did_ make, a sister piece to the one she had given Adrien. 

“Looks like we have a winner,” Tikki said from beside her. 

\--------------------------------------

“You look radiate as usual, my lady.”

Marinette turned around to see Chat Noir standing at the other end of their meeting place, and she couldn’t help but laugh. 

“Great minds think alike, chaton.”

Just like how Marinette was wearing a Chat Noir-themed outfit, Chat Noir was wearing a Ladybug-themed outfit. The red hoodie with spots was a given, but the little antennae on the hood were just adorable. Combined with baggy jeans - which she noted was held up by his leather tail - and a red beanie concealing his ears, he looked exactly like what Chat Noir would be like outside the mask. Just a relaxed, sweet boy. 

Just as she had that thought, he pulled out a pair of sunglasses adored with cartoon ladybugs and waggled his eyebrows. 

“Yes, very cute, Chat.” She tapped his chest where his bell would be, satisfied at the muffled ring. “Where are we going?”

“I know this amazing little ice cream shop - and no, it’s not Andre’s. No magic except good ice cream with this place.” 

“Mmm, the best kind of magic. Lead on.”

They landed in an alley not far from the shop and blended into the crowd. Although Marinette was constantly worried that someone would see right through their disguises, the ruse was working so far. Sure, they could have gone without their suits, but then there was the chance they’d have preemptively revealed themselves. The only risk here was causing a scene or having to sign autographs.

The bell over the door rang as they entered the shop and the first thing Marinette noticed was how few people were here. Besides the shopkeeper, there were a handful of customers spread across the store, leaving plenty of tables and booths open. Despite the emptiness of the room, there was an umbrella rack with a single old umbrella by the door. While Chat Noir was busy scanning the menu, Marinette stepped forward, already certain of what she wanted.

“Strawberry, please.”

Bowl in hand, she paid and found a booth to sit down at. Not long after, Chat Noir had dived into the bench opposite her and practically thrust his bowl under her nose. 

“Look! They put chocolate chips in the MINT ICE CREAM!" He grinned with excitement.

She raised an eyebrow at him, even as she fought down a smile. "I see. You're one of those people."

“What?” He said defensively. “I don’t get to enjoy ice cream a lot, so I like to experiment when I get the chance.”

“If you say so.” She took a bite of her delicious strawberry ice cream. “Meanwhile, I’ve got it figured out. I’ve already found the best there is.”

Chat Noir chuckled as he ate. “Whatever you say.” 

A few minutes of quiet descended on them as they became absorbed with the ice cream. No wonder Chat had been so insistent upon coming here - it was some of the best she’d had. The silence didn’t last forever, and soon enough they were back into bantering, dancing around any serious topic of conversation. A pun of his landed just right, and she shook her head.

“You’re ridiculous, Chat.”

“And you’re stuck with me,” he said proudly. “Until we’re old and grey.”

She poked at her ice cream, frowning. “Do you think we’ll be at this for that long?”

“I… honestly don’t know. I guess I never really thought about it.”

“We’re no closer to beating him now than we were a year ago. And what happens when he’s gone? Will that be it, or will someone - heck, some _thing_ \- just pop up to replace him?”

Nodding sagely, Chat replied, “Superheroes invite a challenge, naturally creating more supervillains.”

“That would sound more profound if I didn’t know you took it from either the Avengers or the Incredibles.”

“Ooo, my lady! I didn’t know you were such a movie fan. How do you feel about…” he leaned forward and waggled his eyebrows, “...Romance?” 

She pushed him away by his nose. “Not a big fan. I mostly like Disney and Pixar. I play them in the background while I… work.” Design work, specifically, but Chat already got his hint for the night. It wouldn’t be good to make it too easy for him. 

They launch into a new conversation about movie preferences and quickly discover that they can add that to the list of things they have in common. Excluding Chat Noir’s love of romantic comedies. 

“Then maybe the next time we hang out, we could make it a movie night?” Chat poked at his half melted ice cream while he said it, furtively glancing up at her. The implication was clear - if they had a next time. 

While she thought about it, she noticed that two men had entered the store. They were hovering near the counter, the bulk of their bodies concealing what was happening from view. All she could see was the shopkeeper, looking very pale and eyes fixed on something that Marinette couldn’t see. Chat Noir followed where she was looking and his bashfulness faded away, replaced by a cold glare. 

“After you, my lady.”


	11. Vigilante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some off the clock superheroics.

The two of them rose simultaneously from their booth and crept noiselessly toward the cash register where the scene was unfolding. 

Marinette was too far away for her to hear any of what they were saying, but the low, angry muttering couldn’t mean anything good. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the steely glint of something sharp being pointed at the old man behind the counter. The two men weren’t just shoving knives towards the man - there was a canvas bag on the counter as the cashier slowly reached moved for the register. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chat Noir snag the umbrella from the rack. While he approached from the right side, she crept closer to the man on the left. The cashier finally noticed her, his observation only betrayed by a brief glance, but it was enough to draw the attention of the man on the right. Just as he began to move, Chat Noir prodded him forward with the end of his umbrella, causing him to stumble off guard, and Marinette swept out with her legs to trip the person on the left.

To her surprise, the man managed to avoid collapsing to the ground, but only barely. He made a desperate lunge for her, but a year of fighting akumas had honed her superhuman reflexes to a fine point. After easily dodging the attack, she pulled the knife from his hand, bent it, and tossed it aside. Even with his mask in the way, she could easily see the awed fear in his eyes as he fell backwards and scrambled away from her. 

Chat Noir was doing just as well, using the borrowed umbrella like a rapier and easily deflecting the knife angling for him. The man was experienced, but he wasn’t much compared to the feline hero of Paris. After one overextended jab by his opponent, Chat brought his umbrella down hard on the man’s hand, causing him to recoil and drop the blade. Chat kicked it away and thrust the blunt point of the umbrella to just under the man’s throat. 

“Touche,” Chat said with a toothy grin. The entire fight lasted maybe twenty seconds from first contact to the men being knocked to the ground. 

The bell over the door rang. Marinette turned around to see three police officers entering the shop. While they marched past the two of them, Marinette nodded her head towards the door. By the time the police thought to ask them questions, they were long gone.

\-------------------

They’d just turned a corner into an abandoned alley, having left the shop and the police far behind them. Once out of sight, they rose to the rooftops were they belonged. Chat Noir shot her what she has come to recognize as a fake-serious look. 

“We’ll have to call Master Fu.”

Marinette gave a bewildered look to Chat Noir. “Over some common criminals? Why?”

“Because there’s no need for more training since it looks like we’ve gotten _too_ good,” Chat replied as he flexed. She scoffed and punched his arm. “But seriously, we were so in sync with that one! You were all like, _swish_ ,” he swept with his leg, “and I was all,” he mimed fencing. “Without even a _word_ between us - double take down! It was great!”

“Yeah… I guess we have been on top of our game these last few fights,” she stared off into the distance thoughtfully. They’d always made a good team, of course, despite some hiccups from time to time. But lately it had been something else entirely. It felt like they were a seamless match with each other. While it was working out, and as much as she appreciated the boost, she couldn’t help but wonder what was causing it.

“So, um…” Chat Noir rubs the back of his neck nervously, a far cry from his usually boisterous self. “Did you have fun?”

“Ice cream, movie talks, time with my best friend, and beating up bad guys?” She counted them off on her fingers before finishing by looking into Chat’s emerald eyes, so big and full of tentative hope. “...It was wonderful, Chat. We’ll definitely have to do it again sometime. Maybe make it a weekend movie night?”

He nodded, dumbstruck. “Y-yeah. Sounds awesome.”

“Good - see you later, Chat!” She winked and sailed away, leaving a badly blushing kitty in her wake.


	12. Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir read about their clash with the robbers.

“Rumors abound about these new heroes,” Marinette read aloud from the Ladyblog article. “Sources confirm that no akuma was seen yesterday, making their appearance at the ice cream parlor all the more mysterious. Eye witnesses claim that the heroes were wearing merchandise of Paris’ famous protectors, suggesting that these might be fans who are trying to follow in Ladybug and Chat Noir’s foot steps.” She had to stop as Chat Noir laughed. “The criminals of Paris are sure to be a little more paranoid knowing that our favorite superheroes could be around any corner. More as it comes. Stay connected!”

She exited the article and closed her yoyo, grinning at Chat as he got his laughing fit under control. He wiped away a tear, her heart soaring with pride when she saw the bracelet she made for him on his wrist, reminding her of the mirrored weight she felt on her wrist. “Well, she isn’t completely wrong. They really are big fans of yours, LB.”

“Big fans of us both, kitty. We’re both pretty _claw-esome_.”

Chat collapsed back into a heap of giggling and Marinette couldn’t help but laugh along with him until they were both red in the face. She hadn’t thought their disguises were _that_ good, but apparently they were good enough to fool all media outlets that had picked up the story. Maybe she should give them some slack - after all, at most ten people saw them at the shop, and no one took pictures. They could hardly poke holes in their disguise from secondhand sources.

Master Fu returned with steaming tea that he set in front of each of them. He frowned as he stroked his beard. “I do not understand your levity, young ones. This news is surprising. Even common criminals are not so easily dispatched as has been described. I fear more miraculous are in play.”

“Master,” Marinette managed as she calmed down, “ _we_ were the vigilantes.”

“Ah.” Fu took a sip of his tea. “Then why were you at that shop? I did not hear of any akumas that night, and it was not on one of your patrols.”

“We, uh, we were just… hanging out.” Chat rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Hanging out,” Fu repeated slowly. “I see.” Another sip. “While I approve of you two becoming closer, this is not quite what I had in mind. I urge you to be cautious. Unnecessary attention being drawn to you is not ideal, though I understand your reasons in this case.”

Across from her, Marinette saw Chat staring contemplatively at his cup of tea as he held it. “Something on your mind, chaton?”

“Yeah… What are our vigilante names? I was in the Ladybug stuff so maybe something like…” He struck what Marinette was sure he thought was a badass pose. “...Manbug!”

Marinette snorted and even Master Fu chuckled. Seeing his pouting, she smirked at him. “Sure, Chat. You can be Manbug if you really want to.”

“Well, what about you?” He huffed. “Let’s see you come up with something better.” He drank some of his tea.

“Hm… a Chat Noir theme name… What about… Ladynoir?” Chat’s eyes widened and he choked on his drink. She crossed her arms as he spent a minute or two coughing and recovering. “Is there something wrong with Ladynoir?”

“Oh, _I_ don’t have any problem with Ladynoir, Lovebug.” He pulled out his baton and did a quick search. “But it might really sell the idea that you’re a big fan girl of us.” 

He showed the results of his google images search for Ladynoir and she blushed at the fanart of the two of them. When she met his eyes again, he was grinning and waggling his eyebrows.

“Okay, fine, no Ladynoir,” she grumbled.

Master Fu cleared his throat. “I believe we are here for a different purpose than this?” Despite the sternness in his voice, there was a wrinkling around his eyes and a faint smile at his lips. He stood and pulled the mats over. “Shall we get started?”

This session of meditation went much more smoothly than last time, partly because Marinette was more focused on it and partly because she refused to open her eyes and see what her partner was doing. And she was sure he was doing _something_ because, well… he’s Chat Noir. Being distracting is his job description, or at least he acts like it is. After a few minutes, she’d managed to put all thoughts of Chat aside and focus solely on her breathing. Not long after, her mind was emptied of all thoughts.

_I hope she isn’t mad at me._

The words were tinged with worry and entered her mind in Chat’s voice. Her eyes flew open and she winced from the lights. Where they always that bright? When her sight adjusted, all she saw was Chat Noir sitting opposite her, eyes closed and body still. It was at that point she realized that in hearing the words, her ears had been bypassed entirely. She looked at her partner, eyes wandering as she tried to make sense of what just happened. As she stared, the designer part of her brain idly noted that black suited him.

Her partner grinned and opened his eyes. “Well, I’ve always thought so. But I’m glad you see it too, bugaboo.” She winced at the sudden noise that hurt her ears. 

Master Fu furrowed his brow and looked between them. “Am I missing something, young ones? Is this another… reference that I do not know about?”

Confused, Chat tilted his head with a bemused smile. “What’s the matter? LB just said black suited me. I happen to agree.” He stood and stretched, which reminded Marinette of the stiffness in her own joints. A glance at the clock revealed why - two hours had passed during their meditation. 

“She... said nothing. Correct?” Master Fu turned to her.

“Y-yeah. Not that I wasn’t _thinking_ that but-” She looked at Chat flatly when he waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Admire my beauty all you want, LB. I am gorgeous for the people.” He struck a ridiculous pose which drew a surprised giggle out of her.

Master Fu simply stroked his beard as he watched the two of them. “Is there anything else that happened?”

Chat shrugged. “No, not really.” His face split into a grin. “Although if I get to hear more about what my lady _really_ thinks of me… well, I won’t be too upset.”

“You might find yourself regretting that, chaton.” Getting to her feet, she rolled her shoulders and stretched out her legs. She’d need to be limber to get home. “Well, master, it’s getting late. Are we okay, or is it just something from the meditation?”

“Do not concern yourself with it for the time being.” Master Fu smiled. “I’m sure it is nothing to worry about.”

Marinette had the suspicious feeling he knew more than he was letting on, but she was starting to feel more and more exhausted by the minute. Besides, it was hardly the first time Master Fu had left them in the dark for vague reasons. After they said their goodbyes, she and Chat parted ways outside the little shop Master Fu called home.

The way home was practically memorized by now and before she knew it, she landed on her balcony. She fell into her room and dropped her transformation in one movement and just as she started getting ready for bed, her stomach growled. The noise was echoed by the growl of a much tinier stomach. 

Tikki giggled beside her. “Sorry. Want to grab some midnight snacks?”

Marinette crept down the stairs, but relaxed when she heard her mom snoring. Marinette was surprised - mom must be really out of it to be snoring so loud she can hear her through the door. She shook her head and walked into the kitchen, rummaging for any bakery leftovers to tide her over until the morning. 

Naturally, it didn’t take long for Tikki to track down the cookies. As she passed by the fridge, she saw a note taped to the fridge. No doubt one of her dad’s reminders to himself - pretty common when they receive a special order since he could get a little carried away sometimes. Out of curiosity, she read the note. What she read made her nearly drop all the goodies she’d collected in her arms.

“Remember: Agreste Fashion Show, one week from now. Catering, more macaroons.”

A smile slowly dawned on her face as she went back upstairs. After how well she did last time, maybe she could convince her parents to let her help out again? Not only would she get to see Adrien at work, she’d get to see a Gabriel brand fashion show for free!

Between her tiredness and her excitement, she never noticed that she had managed to walk through her house without a single light on to guide her, completely at ease in the near pitch black conditions.


	13. Hairstyles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette helps her parents cater an Agreste show.

Marinette glanced at her reflection in an empty platter to make sure her hair was staying in its bun, then tugged nervously at the hem of her outfit. It was the same thing she’d be wearing the last time she’d helped her parents with catering, at the opening of the Ladybug and Chat Noir animated movie. The designer in her rebelled at wearing it again, but as Ladybug she was more than familiar with lucky charms. The last time she wore it, she ended up seated in the front row next to Adrien. That was good enough for her. 

Although, just to be sure, she had worn her lucky socks as well. 

“Marinette? Are you listening?” 

She turned back to her dad, who was watching her with worry. “Don’t worry, papa, I understand. I’ve done this before, remember?”

“Yes, you have…” He acknowledged begrudgingly and shared a look with her mother, “Once.”

“And everything worked out fine!” She smiled took the platter with a pyramid of macaroons off his unresisting hands. “Today is going to go perfectly, all these rich people will love your work, the Agrestes are going to be super impressed and ask us on a date-”

“Marinette…” Tom sighed and wringed his hands. 

“Sorry,” she said with a faint blush. “But seriously, papa, you don’t have to worry. I’ve got this - trust me!” She smiled her brightest and watched as he gave in.

From behind the table, Sabine said, “Remember, if you can hand them all out without any… accidents, then there is a ticket to the show in it for you. Courtesy of Mr. Agreste himself.” 

“I won’t let you down!” She turned away and walked into the high society crowd.

\---------------------------------

Adrien forced out a polite laugh at a bad joke before excusing himself from the group he’d found himself in. He took a sip of his drink, sadly non-alcoholic, as he moved toward an empty corner of the room. His father wouldn’t appreciate him being anti-social, but some moments to himself were going to be the only way he was going to get through the next hour of schmoozing. The worst part was he didn’t recognize anyone here and most of them were much older than him. Sure there were some people he vaguely remembered, but that wasn’t enough to have a conversation over.

The process of psyching himself up to plaster a smile on his face and go back into it was derailed when the crowd parted just right and he caught sight of a familiar face. There was nothing fake about the eager grin he wore as he chased after Marinette. A few people tried to snag his attention as he ducked between them, but after a few muttered excuses and apologies he dragged himself away. He stood in the spot where he had seen her and looked around, smiling fading as the moments passed without a sign of her. Just as he was about to resign himself to his secluded corner, he heard her laugh briefly over the din of the party. 

Moving quickly, he laid eyes on her again. He had ample time to take in her appearance as he closed the distance. The black and white outfit was the same that she’d worn the day Animaestro attacked Paris, and it was exactly as adorable as he remembered it being. With a sly smirk, he crept up behind her and snagged a macaroon. 

She spun in place with a grace he was unused to seeing from her. “I hope you enjoy, sir-”

In that exact moment, she realized who she was speaking to. In her surprise, she nearly dropped her platter, barely catching it before the few remaining treats slid off. They locked eyes as Adrien took a bite from the snack. 

“Hey, boss. I wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

It was fascinating to him to see her expression so quickly change from panic to ease. There was still a touch of red to her cheeks, which was no doubt from hustling through the crowd, and a small smile found its way to her face. 

“H-hey, Adrien. It’s a nice party your dad is throwing.”

His mouth twitched and his smile dimmed. “Yes. Too bad father couldn’t show up personally, but that’s usually how these things go. It’s almost part of his brand at this point.” He finished the macaroon. “How are you enjoying it?”

“Well… um.” She bit her lip and looked to the side while Adrien waited patiently. “I’m looking forward to the fashion show part!”

“You got tickets? That’s awesome! Hopefully we’ll be sitting next to each other again.” 

Marinette seemed about to say something before glancing over his shoulder, frowning in worry. He followed her gaze to see her parents standing at a table with a few more platters of goods in front of them, a handful of people snagging some snacks as they passed. 

“Looks like you guys might be taking some macaroons home with-” When he looked back at her, she had left. Did he say something wrong?

He’d just made up his mind to try to find her and ask - apologizing, if need be - when he heard something like evil laughter from the room next door. The crowd went quiet and a worried murmur passed through them. Reluctantly he shelved the idea of following Marinette. He could find her after the akuma fight.

\------------------------------------

The akuma was yelling about something. Maybe it had something to do with their motivation for being akumatized and why he was being chased by two pairs of giant fabric scissors, but there were far more pressing issues to deal with right now. Then again, Adrien wouldn’t exactly call it an ‘issue’...

“It’s so cute!” He cooed at Ladybug, eyes wide as he took every moment he could spare to stare at his partner. Instead of her usual pigtails, her hair was up in a bun, and he’d been unable to stop noticing this fact for the entire battle.

She pinched the bridge of her bridge of her nose, still twirling her yoyo with her other hand. “Chat! Focus. We need to beat this akuma.”

“Right, right.” He smacked a pair of scissors to the ground, hoping they’d stay there for a while. He flexed the claws on his ring hand. “Cataclysm time?” 

“Save it for now. Let me try a lucky charm first. Keep them off me?” She took a few steps away from the fight while Adrien settled into a defensive stance.

“As you wish, m’lady.”

His back was turned to her as he doubled down on his efforts to hold back the akuma of the day, beating back the advance of a ream of fabric rearing back like a cobra at him. When he heard her call out for a lucky charm, he waited a few moments and yelled over his shoulder.

“Any ideas? What are we working with?”

“I… It didn’t work,” she said in a shocked whisper. He glanced over his shoulder to see her looking at her empty hands, dumbfounded.

“Wait, what? Why?” 

Her lips became a thin line as she rushed up beside him. “I don’t know! We’ll have to figure that out later. Can you use yours?” 

“Sure.” He took a step back, letting Ladybug take his place and called out for the power of destruction. When he finished his pose, he didn’t feel the substantial rush of energy he usually did. “Um… Ladybug? It didn’t work.”

“That’s just great. First my lucky charm and now your cataclysm-” Her eyes widened when her non-yoyo wielding hand began to thrum with a dark force. “Ch-chat?!”

His eyes widened as he stared slack jawed at the display. “How- That’s…” He slow clapped appreciatively. “Well done, m’lady!” 

She was holding her hand as far away from her as possible. “No! Not well done! This feels terrifying! How do you deal with this?!”

He shrugged and batted aside another attack. “Well, I don’t usually don’t have it turned on for very long. It’s better just to not think about it.”

Narrowing her eyes at the energy that seemed to suck the light out of the surrounding air, she asked him, “Chat, can you say ‘lucky charm’ for me?”

“For you? Anything.” He struck the same pose she normally did and shouted out, “Lucky Charm!” 

The rush of energy felt familiar - it ran through all the usual parts of his body before being channeled outside it. Granted, it normally pooled in his hand, but that was a minor difference compared to how… _wrong_ the power felt rushing through him. Although ‘wrong’ wasn’t an entirely accurate description. It felt unfamiliar in the same way a half forgotten memory was unfamiliar - distant, but faintly recognitizable. 

He didn’t have a chance to dwell on it as a black with lime green cat paw prints object landed in his hands. It took him a few moments of blinking stupidly at it to realize it was a comically large egg beater. 

“Uh… Ladybug?”

\-----------------

Later that night, they agreed to meet up at Notre Dame. They had originally intended to meet at the Eiffel Tower, but Ladybug had asked to move it to the venerable cathedral since she wasn’t feeling well, for whatever reason. Adrien obliged, and he was glad he did as he shivered in silence. As bad it was right now, it would only be worse up in the open heights of the Tower. Had it been this cold all day? It certainly felt like the temperature dropped heavily, even if his baton claimed it had been the same as usual.

“Hey, kitty.” He turned around to see Ladybug ambling towards him, clutching her stomach with a pained look.

“My lady! Are you okay?” He rushed forward, only for her to wave him off.

“Fine. It’s not worse than what I deal with monthly, just… unexpected is all.” She seemed to notice his shivering. “Chaton… are you cold? Usually I’m the one cuddling up to _you_ for warmth.” She stepped closer to him until she was practically bumping shoulders with him. He sighed in relief as her body heat fought back the chill. 

As he rubbed her back gently, he murmured, “What a mess we are, lady love.”

“You aren’t wrong,” she said with a sigh. “Maybe this has something to do with channeling our opposite powers?”

He tapped his chin as he considered it. “I mean, I guess that makes sense for you? Creation channeling destruction sounds like it could make you sick. But why would that make me cold?” He shrugged. “I’m not much for this magic talk. We should bring it up when we talk to Fu next.”

“Yeah, but before we do that, I wanted to see if our powers are still swapped.” She stood straight and took a step back from Chat Noir, who immediately felt her loss. Or at least the loss of her heat. “Ready?”

At his nod, they both called out to their usual powers and Adrien breathed a sigh of relief as his cataclysm flared to life in his claws. He even felt a little warmer as he touched a pebble on the building, causing it to crumble into dust. When he looked back up, Ladybug was staring at a circular object she was holding in her hands. 

“Huh, I’ve always been curious what would happen if you made a Lucky Charm outside of battle. What did it make?”

“Take a look,” she said while turning the disc over in her hands, showing him what looked like a stone ying yang symbol in red and lime green. 

“That’s… something.” He scratched his head. “Think it means anything?”

“Probably. It’s not like the miraculous hasn’t sent me messages through the lucky charms before. I’m not entirely sure what it’s trying to tell me though. I already knew we balance each other out.”

“Maybe it’s trying to tell you we’re soulmates.” He waggled his eyebrows and leaned in, only to be pushed away by the nose. 

“Or maybe not. Something else to think about, I guess. I’m just glad our powers are back in order.” She hefted the stone and tossed it in the air. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

They blinked in confusion as a single magical ladybug was summoned and gently drifted over to the tiny pebble Adrien had destroyed. Once the pebbled was restored, the tiny bug vanished. Adrien looked back to Ladybug and they shared a disbelieving stare before bursting into laughter. 

It didn’t last long before Ladybug was clutching her stomach again and the wind made Adrien begin shivering again. With brief goodbyes said to the tune of beeping miraculous, they headed home.

\-----------------------------------

Marinette dropped into her bedroom just as her transformation gave out. Another close call, or maybe Tikki was just that good at holding out. If that was the case, then Tikki definitely deserved the sleep she immediately got as she landed on the little makeshift bed Marinette had made her - something devised after one too many times of Marinette rolling over onto her. 

She gently stroked Tikki’s head as she pushed her thoughts of the day to the back of her head - for now. There would be plenty of time later to figure things out. Maybe not tomorrow, since she had a study session with Adrien after school, but definitely soon. 

Just as she got settled, she sneezed and sniffled, but she could already feel the nausea fading away. She’d be fine tomorrow, but only if she got a good night’s sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that I've been falling behind! It's been hard to motivate myself to write, despite how much I've been enjoying this story. Hopefully I'll be able to catch up this week!


	14. Sick Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Marinette sick at home, it's up to Adrien to make sure his friend is doing okay.

Adrien grabbed his bag on his way out, sparing only a yearning glance at Marinette’s empty spot. Apparently she’d gotten sick with something and had to stay home, which would be bad enough on a normal day. What sucks even more is that today Ms. Bustier gave them free time to work on their project. With Nino and Alya pairing off to do research in the library, Adrien was left alone again, naturally. 

As he stepped out of the classroom, Nino collided with him and wrapped an arm around Adrien’s shoulder. “Hey, dude! So I’ve got some good news…”

Adrien grinned, his friend’s enthusiasm proving contagious. “Yeah? Lay it on me.”

“I know you were super bummed Marinette didn’t show today, but my girl Alya was just telling me that you could head over there to visit, no problems! It wasn’t anything serious and the worst is gone, so you’re in the clear.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to bother her. She probably wants some time to herself.” He fiddled with his ring, uncertain as they walked through the school’s doors. “Right?”

Instead of an answer, Nino laughed knowingly and patted his back. He sighed when Adrien kept staring blankly at him.

“Listen, dude. Just trust me on this, okay? Marinette will be thrilled that you visited. If you can get some work done while you’re at it, double win, right?”

“Well… If you’re sure she won’t mind…”

Nino lightly punched his shoulder. “That’s the spirit, dude!” He backed away from Adrien, finger gunning all the while. “Good luck, man. I wanna hear all about it later.”

Adrien gave an awkward smile and waved, not sure about what Nino expected to happen. He reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of the Gorilla, who was holding open the door to the car. 

“My schedule is clear for today, so… I was thinking of visiting a friend? If that’s alright?” He gripped the strap of his bag nervously. Knowing his bodyguard would have to report this to his father he added an excuse that Gabriel would approve of, “We have a project that we need to work on.”

The Gorilla grunted.

“Oh, that won’t be necessary. She just lives over there.” He pointed across the street to the bakery. “I can call when I’m done.”

The Gorilla turned to look at the bakery for a few long moments before nodding and grunting again.

“Thank you! You won’t regret this!” Adrien dashed across the street and ducked into the bakery before the Gorilla changed his mind. Immediately he was immersed in the delicious smell of fresh bread and pastries. 

“Oh, hello dear!” Sabine smiled at him as he approached the counter. “Alya mentioned you’d be stopping over. Study partners, hm? I’m sure you two get to spend a lot of time together. Do you remember where her room is?” He nodded as the bell over the door ran behind him. “Good, just make sure you knock first.”

As she greeted her newest customers, Adrien slipped into the back and headed up the stairs.

\----------------------------

Marinette was feeling better - admittedly not at her best, but certainly better. In all honesty, she had gone to school in worse shape before, but if she thought this was just a mundane illness then she wouldn’t have stayed home. But waking up to stomach cramps right after something as weird as a power swap with her partner? That left a lot of unanswered questions, questions she had hoped to get answers to today. 

And she would have gotten those answers if she hadn’t somehow forgotten that her parents could be overbearing even at the best of times. While them rushing up to make sure she was alright every time they got a break in the bakery was endearing, it made transforming and finding Master Fu impossible. Instead, she just had to while away the day doing some work on different projects she had laying around. At least the day hadn’t been wasted and she could relax a little as she ignored the fading stomach pain. 

...Or at least she could until Alya texted her, asking questions about designs. Some prodding later and Marinette discovered that Ms Bustier had given them hours of extra time to work on their projects. Time that she could have spent with Adrien. Time that he ended up spending working _alone_. 

She vented about it to Alya, who started asking her wildly irrelevant questions like, ‘are you contagious’ or ‘are you feeling better.’ The conversation ended with a cryptic, ‘You’re welcome.’ After that, Alya stubbornly refused to respond - Marinette was sure she was probably canoodling with Nino somewhere. 

Marinette had to adjust her assumptions when she heard a knock at the trapdoor leading into her bedroom. Maybe her best friend had decided to pay her a visit after all. It was only after she shouted for the person to come in did she remember that Alya almost never knocked. 

Adrien rose into her room, his eyes glancing around the handful of posters on the walls. She’d taken many of them down already, but even so she winced a little. Not that he didn’t already know about them, but it still felt private. Those thoughts were quieted when his eyes landed on her and he smiled, bright as the sun. Despite her shock and lingering worry, she found herself smiling dumbly back.

“Hey, boss,” he said with a wink that caused her heart to flutter. “You look like you’re doing better. Well, not that I saw you being sick or anything, but you don’t look sick. Not that I’m calling you a liar! But, uh, you look… uh, nice,” he finished lamely, rubbing the back of his neck.

She looked down at her old pajamas and big T-shirt, felt her hair still up in a messy bun. It didn’t _feel_ like she looked nice. “Th-thanks? So, um… did you want to work on the project or something?”

“Oh, that reminds me!” The lingering awkwardness vanished as he became consumed with excitement. He took a seat on the chaise next to her and pulled his tablet out from his backpack. “Look what I found today!”

She gingerly took the tablet that he shoved toward her and skimmed what was on the screen. It was a scanned newspaper article from about ten years ago. Her eyes widened as she realized it was about a pair of vigilantes in Paris that ran across rooftops and seemed to have superhuman abilities. As she read on, she was a little disappointed that they were apparently more known for just… running around and having fun rather than fighting crime. No wonder she was only hearing about them now - they didn’t _do_ anything!

“Do you not like it?” She looked up to see Adrien looking like a kicked puppy. She rushed to console him. 

“No, no, it’s fine, really! I’m just disappointed they weren’t more, well… heroic. That’s all.”

He nodded along. “Yeah, I get that. It’s the most concrete proof of French superheroes, though. And in Paris, no less!”

“Do you want to see if you can find out more about them? I have a few leads I wanted to follow on some people from history that I can look up.”

“Sure!” 

He looked down at his tablet, eager to get to work. Marinette allowed herself a few moments to watch him and enjoy the situation before reluctantly turning her attention to the project.

\-------------------------

Adrien looked up when he heard Marinette hit her head softly against her table. “Um… are you okay, boss…?”

“None of them!”

“Huh?”

“I had _five_ leads and I can’t say with any certainty that _any_ of them could have been superheroes. The hero part, sure. But I can’t prove they have super powers. The closest I can get is that Joan of Arc is similar to Ladybug, but even that is more of a gut feeling than anything else.”

“Oh.” He frowned. “Well, I’m kinda the same boat too since I haven’t found anything else about this mysterious duo.” Shaking his head, he added, “Not even a picture. Apparently there had been a good one, but some private collector bought it or something.”

Marinette reached past the platter of goodies her parents had brought them half an hour ago, and grabbed her glass of water. “Do you think we’ll be able to do this project?”

“Of course!” He gave her his best winning smile as she raised the glass to her lips. “I know it looks bad, but I believe in you, Marinette. You’re awesome!”

The praise didn’t have the effect he was aiming for since, in her surprise, she spat out the water and ended up with a soaked shirt.

“Gah!” She stared down at herself in a panic before wrapped her arms around her. “Uh, Adrien, could you go downstairs for a minute while I change?”

There was such misery in her voice that his surprise was quickly swapped out for sympathy and understanding. 

“Sure. I’ll just… be downstairs then.”

With an iron will, he avoided looking at her soiled shirt as he left and closed the trapdoor beside him. He took a seat on the stairs and pulled out his phone to pass the time. Nino had sent him some texts over the past couple hours that he’d been ignoring in favor of studying. He didn’t feel very motivated to answer him since they were just questions clearly authored by Alya, snooping into what Marinette and him were doing. He’d be glad to tell him if anything besides working had happened, but… 

He heard Marinette’s voice from above him. “Okay, you can come back in now!” The trapdoor opened and Adrien started walking through as Marinette continued. “So we aren’t having much luck with our project so I thought we could maybe do some movies. How does that sound?”

“That sounds grea-” Adrien trailed off when he saw what she had changed into, much to Marinette’s confusion. After all, it was only a too-large Jagged Stone t-shirt. 

A limited edition shirt that Adrien had gotten months early. 

For Ladybug.


	15. Animal Tendencies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien struggles with his newfound knowledge.

Marinette - _Ladybug_ \- had asked him what he wanted to watch. Somehow, Adrien agreed to a movie. He has no memory of doing so, but since they were laying side by side in her bed, laptop on her lap as the light from the movie illuminated them in the dark, it clearly had to have happened. He risked a glance to the side, aiming to get another look at the incriminating T-shirt. 

There were probably other explanations. She was a personal friend of Jagged Stone. Maybe he sent the shirt to her, or maybe she got it because she was such a big fan of his. Adrien had found a way to get it early - it was possible she managed it as well. 

Then his eyes traveled up to her face and he felt his heart flip as she laughed at a joke from the movie. Logic flew out the window. There was only one girl who could make him feel this way, even if he had been steadfastly ignoring how he felt around Marinette. A flicker of a smile came to his face when he realized he’d been denying that crush out of a sense of loyalty to her alter ego. 

The smile quickly passed as the gravity of the situation crushed him, doubts hounding his every thought. 

There was nothing he wanted more than to stay here like this forever. Close together, the space between them practically nothing. His hand was itching to grab hers, so maddeningly close… but he couldn’t do it. Not yet. He felt lost - confused. There were too many unanswered questions right now for him to make any kind of move. Which just left him beside her, yearning to reach out but paralyzed by uncertainty. One movie ended, another began. Just when he had nearly built up the courage to say anything, a knock on the door jolted him back into reality. The world suddenly became more than just him and her.

“Adrien,” Tom’s voice called through the wood of the trapdoor, “A, um, very large, silent man is standing outside the bakery. We think he is your… bodyguard?”

Relief poured down his spine like cold water even as a part of him was sad to leave. He was galvanized into moving for the first time in hours.

“I, uh… I had fun today…” Marinette fidgeted with her hands as he was halfway down the ladder. Even in his turmoil he stopped to smile softly at her shyness. “Maybe we can…” She waved her hand at the laptop, “...again, sometime?” 

A long moment passed before he registered that he needed to respond. “Oh! Y-yeah, I’d like that.” Another pause as they watched each other, words hanging unsaid in the air between them. “I’d better get going.”

“R-right, of course.”

“The Gorilla is waiting…”

“Mmhm, yup.”

“...But I’ll see you at school. Later.” 

“Yes! Later is good.”

“And probably after school. Since we, uh, we have a project to do.” He hated that he was rambling but he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He didn’t want to leave her, but he couldn’t stay either.

“ _Lots_ of work to do on that project.”

“So… bye?”

“Y-yeah. Night good!” She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. “Good night,” she repeated, slowly.

He nodded and shut his mouth. He awkwardly climbed down her ladder in silence and left the bakery after a few words of thanks to her parents. The Gorilla was characteristically silent as he drove Adrien to the Agreste estate before leaving for home himself. There was no one to greet him when he got home, so he shambled off to his room in silence.

At least, until they reached the privacy of his room and Plagg emerged from Adrien’s bag. 

“Well, well, well,” Plagg said while rubbing his paws together with a nearly malicious glee. “Looks like lover boy has made a discovery.” 

Adrien sat down on the side of his bed. “Marinette is Ladybug.” Somehow, saying it out loud made it feel all the more real. 

“Marinette is Ladybug,” Plagg nodded.

“I’m in love with Ladybug.”

His kwami sighed. “You’ve made that abundantly clear, kid.”

“...I’m in love with Marinette.”

“Because she is Ladybug? Or was there something there before?” When Adrien opened his mouth to speak, Plagg hushed him. “And be honest!”

Rubbing the back of his head, Adrien struggled to find a response. “Well, I… now that I think about it I guess you could say that I… but…”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Oh come _on_ , kid. Out with it! This isn’t that difficult.”

“I… love her.” He let out a wistful sigh. “I guess I always did.”

“Great. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, how are you going to break the news to Pigtails?”

“I don’t know, Plagg… This changes everything!”

“Okay kid now you’ve lost me again. Didn’t we just cover that you definitely like this girl? What does this change?”

Adrien began pacing, nervously adjusting his ring as he did so. “Well, Ladybug was always kind of a long shot. She’s just so confident and courageous and beautiful. But I love her and I was hoping she’d be willing to give me a chance.” He stopped and looked at Plagg with a look of anguish. “But _Marinette_? She is definitely out of my league.”

“What.” Plagg stared at him incredulously.

“Marinette is kind, caring, creative. She could impress my _father_ and Chloe’s mother with her work. There are lifelong designers that couldn’t do that! _I_ can't impress my father! She’s personal friends with Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale. Everyone loves her - including me, apparently. And apparently she is Ladybug on top of it all. How can I possibly measure up to that?”

Plagg tried his best to face palm with his paws. “You’re a model? And the son of her favorite designer? And you’re _Chat Noir?!_ Does none of this ring a bell to you?”

“I didn’t choose to be a model, or who my parents were. Besides, Marinette isn’t shallow - that’s not the sort of thing she would be interested in. And clearly being Chat Noir doesn’t matter since she… doesn’t…” His eyes widened with sudden realization. “She doesn’t love Chat Noir.” He crumbled onto the bed, hands buried in his hair. 

“Woah, woah, kid.” Plagg landed on his shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short - you’ve got plenty to offer.” Adrien sniffled and looked up. “You’re a sweet kid, and we both know that counts a lot to Pigtails. And you know Ladybug was turning Chat down for someone else - maybe that someone else was you all along?”

Adrien looked to the side, away from his kwami, as he felt the sting of tears. “You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I mean, yeah. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong.” Plagg zoomed in front of Adrien. “Listen, kid. You can go ahead and keep this to yourself for now, if you want. But you’ve got a patrol with her tonight, don’t you? You’ve got to decide what you’re gonna do when you see her.”

He brushed aside his tears and laid down on his bed. “I don’t know,” he whispered into the vast emptiness of the room. “Nothing, for now. I won’t let her be disappointed in me just because of how I’m feeling. She deserves that much while I get my act together.”

“Kid, I can tell you that I’m sure everything will work out fine. Go ahead and take some you time. I’ll be over here, with uncomplicated cheese and no heartache.”

“Thanks, Plagg.”

\------------------------

Marinette landed on a rooftop wholly unremarkable except for the view of the moonlit Seine. The patrol wasn’t going great. Sure, they were covering ground like never before, but only because Chat Noir was being uncharacteristically bashful and quiet. Everytime he caught her staring concernedly at him, he’d blush and look away. It was a far cry from the sly alley cat she’d come to know. The stark difference had almost made her think that there was some akuma nonsense at work.

Now, she was fairly sure she was just dealing with a sad kitten. While that raised questions all on its own, it was at least something that she knew just how to handle. 

“Okay, Chat,” she said, putting her hands on her hips, “this looks like as good a spot as any.”

Hesitantly, he shot her a curious glance. “Good spot for what?”

“Training, of course.”

“Ah.” He settled back into his glumness, but took a defensive position. 

Instead of taking out her yoyo like he no doubt expected, she kept her hands behind her back and took a few steps towards him. His confusion grew until she entered his personal space and he put both hands on his baton and leaned back, his face a red, flustered mess. She smiled and poke his nose.

“Tag. You’re it.”

And just like that, she had run away. Without looking behind her, she could feel Chat chasing her. It had been too long since they had fun on their patrols, and she knew that he could use the distraction. Besides, he wasn’t the only one who can stand to get things off their mind for a little while. She replayed her time with Adrien earlier that day over and over - whether it was in the comfort of her own head, or dissecting everything with Tikki, she felt like it was an important milestone with them. They might not have made much progress with their school project, but she’d never felt closer to Adrien.

Stolen glances confirmed that her plan was working. Worry had melted from his face, leaving only the joy of the hunt. It was just like when they had first taken up the mantle of superheroes, still exploring the boundaries of their powers. Not that there still wasn’t things they didn’t know - these recent… hiccups with their abilities proved that. But now Marinette felt the weight of her responsibilities on her shoulders, a weight she had only managed to bear this long with Chat’s silliness to keep her sane. If he needed a little of that now, then she was happy to help. 

The chase lasted long enough that even her superhuman endurance was running thin. She landed and held up her hands in surrender. 

“Okay, kitty, you got me. Can we take a break now? My legs feel like jelly.”

He flashed her a warm smile, her reward for a long run. “Heh. Same here.” 

He sat down, leaning against a chimney. She found a spot next to him and before long, mutual exhaustion and the cold had them leaning against each other. She snuggled against him, resting her head against his shoulder. It worried her that he froze for a moment afterward, but soon his head was resting on hers and he’d snaked an arm around her waist. They’d grown close during their long war against Hawkmoth. Personal space had been thrown out the window ages ago, a casualty of cold winter patrols and the close calls of a fight. 

Her eyelids became heavy as she got lost in her partner’s warmth. What jolted her awake was a strange rumbling coming from inside her chest. Instantly, she pulled away from her partner, who she noticed was gawking at her in disbelief.

That shock faded quickly, replaced by a wide grin. “Did you just… purr?”

“N-nope!” She lied, unconvincingly. 

“That was adorable!” He scrambled closer to her, eyes sparkling. “Do it again!”

“I don’t _want_ to,” she complained. Their little side effects of having their miraculous had been floating freely between them, but she thanked her lucky stars that it hadn’t swapped their powers again. She still needed to speak with Master Fu, but unless she found some time to speak with him outside their schedules, she wouldn’t be seeing him until next week. In the meantime, she’d just have to deal with it. 

“C’mon, please? Just one more? You make me do it all the time.”

“ _Once_. I had you purr on command _once_ and you complained the whole time since you found it so embarrassing.”

“Yeah, so that means you owe me one, right?”

Rolling her eyes, Marinette took out her yo-yo. “Good night, chaton.”

“I don’t think I will now.” He crossed his arms and looked away, but Marinette could see his tail sweeping back and forth contently. He was feeling happier, at least. That was all she could really hope for.

“Oh? Is that what you want your last words to me tonight to be?”

There was a pause. He sighed and looked back at her, pouting. “Good night, m’lady.”

“There’s a good kitty. See you later!”

She was too far away to hear Chat Noir sigh under his breath. “Sooner than you think…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh... yeah. Sorry for the lateness!


	16. Akuma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A class field trip turns dangerous.

Feeling completely healthy again, Marinette knew she had no excuse to stay home today. No matter how much she wanted to when her alarm started blaring ten minutes before she had to be in the classroom. Despite waking up late, she managed to rush through the doors with a couple minutes to spare and only had to sacrifice breakfast to pull it off. Maybe Tikki would be willing to share her cookie stash to get her through until lunch.

She smiled and waved at the boys as she passed them. While Nino nodded to her, Adrien’s reaction surprised her. It was hard to tell, so she might have been imagining it, but there was a light blush at his cheeks as he looked away from her. Despite his uncharacteristic shyness, he managed to squeak out a greeting as she moved passed him. She exchanged a look with Alya, who seemed as surprised as Marinette was. 

Otherwise, the day began as it normally did. Ms Bustier called attendance, they came to the front in pairs to say nice things to each other, and she began to tell them what they would be doing today.

“Now class, as you may remember, we have a field trip today at the wax museum. Keep in mind this is a reward for your good behavior and excellent progress on your projects - we expect you to stay well mannered while we are in the museum.” She slowly met the eyes of all her students, smiling warmly all the while. “Now, are there any questions?”

Immediately, a third of the class raised their hands.

“Yes, Alya?”

“Is it true that they’ve finished the akumas exhibit?” 

Marinette smiled and shook her head. Of course that’s what Alya would be the most concerned about. Although… maybe looking over the old akumas would help with Marinette’s own project? Somehow? It was worth a shot at least.

“Yes, the final statues were added over the weekend. Now there is an entire section of the museum dedicated to all the akumas. Or at least all the akumas who they could obtain permission from the victims.” Ms Bustier looked at the others and slowly worked through the questions. Most weren’t too interesting to Marinette - where they were eating, when they were leaving, if they would be split into groups. 

But then Kim asked, “Hey, wait a sec. Isn’t our boy Adrien among the dummies?”

There was a general murmuring among the class before Chloe loudly cut in, “Well duh. Of course he is! He is a celebrity, after all. The idea he wouldn’t be in the museum… Ridiculous!”

“Yeah?” Alya leaned forward to properly look at Chloe. “I take it _you_ don’t have a statue in there?”

Chloe huffed and looked away. “I’m sure they are working on it. I send them plenty of messages about it, so they can’t have forgotten about it.”

“Is that true, Adrien?” Ms Bustier cut in before Chloe and Alya could keep going at it. Hesitantly, Adrien nodded. “Oh, that’s wonderful! We’ll make sure to visit it.” She addressed the rest of the class. “The bus will be here soon, so wait here and I’ll come and get you once it has arrived.”

Ms Bustier stepped out of the room. The quiet lasted for only a few moments before the din of a half dozen conversations started up. One of which was Nino talking to Adrien. Despite his attempt at a whisper, she could just barely overhear what he was saying.

“You okay, dude? Not excited to see your double?”

Adrien chuckled. “I see myself everywhere. It isn’t that great.” Marinette disagreed, but refrained from interrupting. 

“Then what? Something seems on your mind.” He leaned a little closer and Marinette had to struggle to hear him. “Is it something to do with Mari? Don’t think I didn’t notice how you looked at her when she came in.”

His cheeks and ears reddened as he gently shoved Nino away, who was grinning all the while. Adrien glanced backwards and Marinette pretended to be completely engrossed by her phone. 

“...Yeah, kinda. But I can’t really talk about it. If that’s okay, bro?”

“Totally. Want to listen to my latest playlist in the meantime?”

Marinette tuned out of the conversation and leaned back. Did she do something wrong? Is he feeling differently about her? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Beside her, someone cleared their throat. She looked at Alya, who had a predatory grin on her face. Clearly, she hadn’t been the only one to hear Nino.

“Girl, you need to spill-”

The classroom door opened and Ms Bustier entered the room. “Alright, everyone. The bus is here - it’s time to go!”

Alya glanced at Marinette, ‘ _we’ll talk later_ ’ plain in her expression. 

Marinette sighed, bracing herself for a long bus ride.

\--------------------

“Girl, it’s obvious!” Alya exclaimed, pulling her into a half hug as they stepped off the bus.

“Yeah?” Marinette replied. It didn’t seem obvious at all to her. 

“That was Grade A romantic fodder you two went through last night. It was only a matter of time before he woke up and realized what a catch you are, and boom! It happened all in one fell swoop.”

“I don’t know… What if he is just uncomfortable at how close we got?”

“Girl.” Alya stared at her in disbelief. “I’ve watched you fall to pieces in front of that boy for over a year now. I know what it looks like, even if he has a little bit more composure than you do.”

“Great, thanks…” she grumbled.

“Seriously! This is a good thing. And I’m going to prove it.” Before Marinette could ask how, Alya was dragging her by the arm towards the front of the column of students before stopped next to Nino. “Hey, babe. Mind if we tag along with you two today?”

“Sure, no problemo!” 

As Alya hooked her arm through Nino’s, she looked back towards Marinette and nudged her head over towards Adrien. She took a deep breath and slide up next to him.

“H-hey!”

“Oh! Um, hi.” He smiled a bit too wide to be at ease. “So, uh… what statues are you planning to look at?”

Yours, in all its beautiful glory. Instead of that, she said, “I was thinking we could go to the akumas exhibit?”

There was a touch of panic in his eyes as he looked at her. “W-why that exhibit specifically?”

She tilted her head curiously at him. “Our… project?”

He laughed nervously. “Oh. Right.”

There was an awkward silence between them, one she couldn’t figure out how to break. Once inside the museum, their class split off into smaller groups. After stopping at a few places along the way, Alya and Nino surreptitiously broke away from Marinette and Adrien. While she appreciated what Alya was trying to do, she really missed the support, especially with Adrien acting weird like this. They entered the room housing all the akuma statues.

For a moment, she was overcome with the monument to her and Chat Noir’s victories. The pedestal in the middle, with Queen Bee, Rena Rouge, and Carapace on the first tier, with a Ladybug and Chat Noir statue raised above them on a podium. Surrounding that display was alcoves with dozens of akumatized victims. It was easy to forget just how many varied akumas they’d beaten over the course of the last year, how much they had overcome. It had felt like such a short time, but also as if they had been fighting forever now. 

She looked back at Adrien to see a similar expression of awe on his face. She could only imagine what it must be like for civilians like him to see this. In the middle of her musing, she noticed that he was staring at one statue in particular - Ladybug. Gazing up at her alter ego with all the affection in the world. The realization brought a blush to her face and made her heart flutter. And of course Adrien chose that moment to look back at her.

The same expression he’d been wearing as he stared at the Ladybug statue was now pointed directly at her. He bit his lower lip and turned to face her. Something was clearly on his mind.

“Marinette, I-”

He was cut off by a screaming from somewhere else in the building. The words were lost in the echoing, but Marinette’s phone went off mere moments later. It was an update from the Ladyblog, followed swiftly by a text from Alya - there was an akuma. Just as she was absorbing that information, Adrien had taken her hand and starting running.

“Where are we going?!”

“There are some bathrooms over this way we can hide in while we wait for the akuma to be beaten,” he replied over his shoulder. Soon enough, they stood before the two bathrooms. She was working on an excuse to give him so they would enter different ones when he added, “We should each take a bathroom - make it less likely it will catch both of us.”

The logic was wonky, but she latched onto it, nodding furiously. Just before he ducked inside the bathroom, she caught his overshirt. He looked back at her questioningly.

“...Stay safe, okay?”

He smiled warmly at her, his confidence returned. “For you, boss? I’ll do my best.”

And just like that, the door closed behind him. She took a deep breath and entered the girls’ room.

“Tikki, spots on!”


	17. Oblivio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir have to dig deep to find a way to beat the akuma of the day.

Adrien emerged from the bathroom, hustled around the corner and waited for the girls’ bathroom door to open. Then he acted as if he were passing by and just happened to notice Ladybug.

“LB! You certainly got here fast. Come to visit my stunning statue?”

There was a flicker of a smile on her face before her eyes were drawn to the boys’ bathroom. “Save your flirting for just a second, chaton. I, uh, I think I saw a civilian go in there and I want to make sure he is okay.”

While the prospect of her being worried about him melted his heart, panic caused him to rush forward and grab her wrist. “No time! The faster we get to the akuma, the less chance it has to hurt people.”

“But it wouldn’t take that long-”

“He’ll be safe here anyway, right? He’s going to be in more danger if we just hang out here.” He tried to pull her away but she remained stubbornly rooted to the spot.

“Are you…” she narrowed her eyes at him and his heart skipped a beat. “... _jealous_?”

Adrien almost laughed out loud at the irony, but managed to suppress the instinct. That wouldn’t help his case at all. “No, but if we stop and check for everyone, then the akuma could get out of control.” He tugged at her wrist and was relieved when she finally started moving after him.

“Fine, fine.” He fell in step behind her as she took the lead. “Any clues on what we’re facing?”

“Nope! All I know is that we will be more than a match for them.” He could just barely see her smirk from his vantage point.

They burst into the room with the akuma statues, only to find that they weren’t the only ones there. Floating above the display was an akuma villain kept aloft by a pair of bat wings. The wings, along with the rest of her, looked like it was made of partially melted wax. Solidified droplets hung from her fingertips, the edges of her long black robes, and the tip of her elongated nose. She clutched a gnarled, runny staff that she pointed towards the figures below her. 

She cackled. “Splendid! Once Hawkmoth has your miraculous, the Witch of Wax will be free to terrorize those who would dare vandalize her beautiful works of art!” She scowled at the statues below her. “Awaken, my pretties! Avenge your defiled siblings!”

Several of the statues began to come to life, moving stiffly at first before their actions became more fluid. Before Adrien could react, Ladybug’s yoyo had already reached out to snare her wax counterpart and split it into pieces.

“Oh! Good idea, bugaboo.” He extended his baton to follow suit.

“NO! How _dare_ you, you miscreants! You’ll pay dearly for that.” Before they could attack any more of the inanimate statues, the living ones were upon them. 

Adrien swung his baton at the incoming Rogercop, who blocked it with his armored arms. While he rolled away from Rogercop’s counter attack, he noticed that the slight damage he’d inflicted on the statue had already begun to repair itself. He backed up closer to Ladybug, who was in the middle of an equally matched duel with Riposte. His eyes narrowed and he readied his staff. Knowing who was under the mask was making him even more protective of her than usual.

“M’lady? Do you have any plans?” He asked while leaping in to drive back the fencing akuma. Between the two of them, Riposte was reduced to wax chunks. 

“Working on it, Chat. Keep them off me for a second.” She withdrew from the fight and Adrien planted himself between the small but growing horde and his lady. To his horror, Riposte was beginning to reform. “Lucky Charm!”

There was a flash of red behind him, but before he could look back at her, he saw an androgenous glowing humanoid figure march through the horde. It had a blaster covering one hand and leveled it at Adrien. He remembered - _ha_ \- Oblivio's powers and did his best to evade the rays. 

Just as he was getting his bearings again, there was a powerful tug on his tail, sending him flying backwards. He whirled around, only to see a gorilla with purple eyes where he had just been standing. Behind him, Ladybug was pulling him to his feet.

“Come on, we need to fall back for now!”

Reluctantly, he leapt to his feet and followed Ladybug as she lead them through twisting corridors. The akumas must still have been getting used to mobility since it didn’t take them long to escape.

“I think we’ll be safe here for a minute.” 

Adrien looked back at Ladybug. She was inspecting the lucky charm in her hand, which had taken the form of… a tennis racket. His ears drooped. How were they supposed to pull a victory out of this situation was just a tennis racket? He took a deep breath. If there was anyone that could manage it, then it would be her. He was more certain of that now than ever. No one was a match for Marinette, after all.

“Any ideas, LB?”

She tapped at her chin, eyes narrowing in thought. Eventually she turned her attention to him, but even then he could see the gears turning in her head.

“Bear with me on this one, chaton. Do you remember that lucky charm I summoned after we got our powers swapped back?”

“The yin yang symbol? The one with our colors? Yeah, I suppose so.” He crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Why?”

“Well, seeing Oblivio reminded me of something… That akuma was two people in one body, right?”

He furrowed his brow for a moment. “Do you think that has something to do with our powers?”

“Kinda? Maybe our powers aren’t just balanced together - maybe they are meant to _be_ together. It could explain why parts of them have been drifting back and forth between us.”

“That’s great and all, but how does that help us now?”

“Can you do something for me?”

“Anything,” he said without hesitation.

She blinked at his immediate response. “R-right. Can you… use cataclysm, but draw on my powers to do it?”

“I… can try. But I don’t know how I’d even attempt it.”

“Good point…” She frowned and leaned against the wall.

An idea struck him suddenly and he reached into his pocket. She watched him curiously as he pulled out the lucky charm she (as Ladybug) had made for him. He shrugged when she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well, maybe it’ll help to have some extra luck.” He sat down on the floor and crossed his legs. “Lets see if I can put Master Fu’s training to good use.”

Ladybug’s earrings beeped, a reminder that they were running out of time. It was difficult to pull off in those stressful circumstances, but Adrien persevered. The outside world was tuned out and he focused solely on the charm around his wrist. That was when he heard Ladybug’s voice - not through his ears, but directly to his mind.

_Kitty… please. I believe in you._

The moment he heard her, his heart swelled and he could feel something else stirring inside him - something foreign, but familiar. In that moment, he instinctively called out for his cataclysm. Normally, the power pooled in his hand, but instead it felt like when he had summoned the Lucky Charm - flowing through his hand and just beyond it. When he opened his eyes, it turned out that he wasn’t far off the mark. 

Floating over his outstretched hand was a swirling ball of energy so black that it looked like a two dimensional object. His eyes widened as he moved his hand, the orb hovering close behind. He looked at Ladybug, who seemed similarly shocked.

“How did you know…?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t. This isn’t exactly what I was expecting either but…” She hefted her tennis racket and gently took the ball from him, keeping it balanced on the net. Despite the crackling of power between them, the lucky charm wasn’t destroyed and held the orb. “...I think we can work with this. Come on!”

Just like that and they were rushing back into the fight. By the time they’d made it back to where all the akuma statues had been, they found that over half of them had been animated already. Even with several of the wax akumas having presumably already been sent out to look for them, that still left Dark Blade, Bubbler, Simon Says, and the Mime standing guard. All of which began advancing towards them with their respective weapons at the ready. And whatever the Mime was pretending to have. 

Ladybug took a confident step forward, bounced the orb into the air and slammed it towards them with her racket. Dark Blade attempted to parry it with his sword, only for the destruction to quickly spread from blade to warrior - soon, he was turned from a wax statue to an ash one, and crumbled. These pieces remained motionless, unlike the orb which was now coming right back at them.

Adrien grinned as he batted at the orb with his claws, sending it back towards the akumas. “ _Purrfect_ serve, m’lady.”

“Stay focused, Chat.” The Bubbler attempted to capture the orb with one of his bubbles, but it failed to even slow it. One solid connection with his forehead later and the Bubbler would bubble no more.

The rest of the akumas began to understand the situation they were in and attempted to dodge rather than fight - thankfully, Ladybug realized this and the next thing hit was a statue that the witch was working on, causing her to howl in fury. Adrien caught the orb in his hand. 

“It’ll be harder to catch them now…” Ladybug scowled as she watched the remaining akuma approach them, much more cautiously this time. 

“How good is your tennis game?”

“What? Fine, I guess?”

“Awesome,” Adrien said as he dashed past the akuma, who scattered when he brandished the orb. Once on the other side of the room, he threw the orb high and smacked it with the palm of his hand, sending it flying through the air. 

Ladybug was surprised for a moment before a wicked grin settled on her face. The akumas dodged it easily, but when Ladybug caught it, the Mime got hit hard in the back, falling forward as he turned to ash. With this web of destruction, the akumas weren’t able to keep up. The Witch of Wax hurried between inanimate statues, only to scramble away when the orb would connect before her magic did. The entire room was emptied of statues in record time.

Her skin became runnier as she trembled with rage. “MY BEAUTIFUL WORKS OF ART! YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS YOU-”

Ladybug never had much patience for villain monologues and before the witch could do anything, she was caught in Ladybug’s yoyo string and thrown to the ground. Orb in hand, Adrien stepped forward and bumped it up against the staff, expending both the orb’s power and cracking the staff. Out of it floating a black and purple butterfly.

A quick cleanse and Cure later, and all was back to normal in the museum. 

“Pound it!” They had only barely touched fists when their miraculous began blaring. 

“Sounds like it's time to go. See you next time, Chat Noir!”

There was a loving smile on Adrien’s face as he waved at her retreating back. 

_See you soon, Marinette_ , he thought to himself. The beeping of his own miraculous brought him out of the moment and scurrying for cover.


	18. A Ticking Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir visit Master Fu for answers.

Adrien closed the door behind him and set his bag on his bed with a sigh. It hadn’t taken long to find Marinette after the battle. Despite knowing she was alright since he had seen her race off as Ladybug, he caught her in a hug when he saw her running up towards him. Maybe that had been the right move - after all, she had seemed confused when he wasn’t still hiding in the bathroom. Or maybe it hadn’t been a good choice - she stiffened up when he held her, and she couldn’t meet his eyes the entire rest of the field trip. She could barely speak afterwards. Did he really bother her that much…?

“What was _that_ , kid?!” 

Speaking of being bothered… Adrien took a seat in his computer chair and waited for Plagg to berate him. 

“I know… I couldn’t do it.”

“Yeah. I saw that much.” Plagg was floating in front of him, paws crossed and tail flicking back and forth. “I thought you said that today was going to be the day? Reporter girl even managed to do most of the work for you and got the two of you alone. You were all the way there and chickened out at the last second.”

Adrien rubbed at his face with one hand. “Trust me, I get that. I just-” He threw his hands up. “I don’t know! I’m scared, okay? I just want to enjoy what we have for a little while longer before I accidentally mess it up like everything else.”

There was silence as the words hung heavy in the air. “Is that what you think, kid? That she’ll care about you any less?”

More silence. A defeated nod from Adrien.

The quiet was broken with Plagg’s cackling. “Wow. I don’t even know what to say. Except maybe that you’re just plain wrong, but we both know that, don’t we?”

“Hey, wait a minute-”

“No. Listen kid - Does Ladybug care about Chat Noir?”

“I mean, yeah, I guess, but-”

“And does Marinette care about Adrien?”

“Sure, probably, but if you’d just-”

“Then why in the name of ME would anything be any different just because those two people she cares about are actually one person?”

Adrien opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t find any words to refute his kwami. Instead he groaned and leaned back. “You’re right, but that doesn’t make this any easier.”

“Oh no. A superhero will have to do something slightly difficult. How awful.” Plagg scoffed. “Anyway, you’ve got plenty of opportunities coming up, between school and all those akumas. If we can get to Fu’s next week with this out of the way, then it’ll be great for all of us.”

“I’ll try to bare my soul to Marinette within your precious time frame.” Adrien glared at his kwami, but his attention was already elsewhere.

“That’s great, kid. Now get me some camembert. Dealing with you has been almost as tiring as that akuma fight.”

\-----------------

Her eyes darted between the project she’d been working on all afternoon and the clock. It was late, late enough that her parents would be soundly asleep and on a school day she definitely would be too. There wasn’t much time left before Marinette had to meet up with Chat Noir for their meeting with Master Fu and she had to decide now if she was going to attempt to get this next patch done or leave it here for now. 

With a sigh, Marinette sat down her fabric scissors and collapsed onto her chaise. 

“I’m proud of you, Marinette. It’s very wise to know when to carry on and when is best stop,” Tikki chirped as she appeared in front of her. 

“Thanks, Tikki. But that means I don’t have anything else to do while we wait.”

“Well… we could talk, if you want.” Tikki settled down on the chair beside her. “Is there anything on your mind?”

“Chat has been acting weird, I guess?” 

“That’s very true. We don’t usually see him so… timid or shy. What do you think is going on with him?”

Marinette rolled her eyes. “Knowing my kitty, he is probably plotting to ask me to something again. Maybe he has a rooftop picnic or something in mind.” She glanced outside as a cold wind howled. A shiver shook her as she reminded herself she’d be outside in that before too long. “Although hopefully not.”

“So you aren’t too worried?”

“If it isn’t that, then what else can I do for him? Our hands are kind of tied with the whole secret identities thing.” Marinette shook her head sadly. “No, I’ll do my best to be here for him, but there is only so much comfort I can give.”

“It wasn’t that long ago that you two were trading little facts about yourselves. What happened with that?”

Marinette squirmed in place. She was aware that they’d stopped doing it and she had tried to tell herself that it didn’t bother her. But there was a part of her that was disappointed. Chat Noir often felt like he was larger than life, an exaggeration of a person. But little details like his favorite dish? They made him feel more real, more grounded. Maybe that was why she was scared - anything could happen in their fight. She’d already had to see him get erased or turned against her. What would happen if she knew who exactly was under the mask? Knew exactly who she had failed to protect?

She was startled out of her thoughts by a tiny paw patting the side of her head. 

“I know it all seems scary, Marinette. But I’m here for you, one hundred percent. And I know that Chat Noir is with you completely. The best we can do is face things together, right?”

Marinette nodded before her eyes widened as she remembered to check the clock. Only five minutes until the meeting started.

“Tikki, spots on!”

\--------------------------------------

“Ah, greetings to both of you,” Master Fu said as Marinette and Chat Noir entered the room together. It had been close, but she made it. Apparently Chat had also been running behind since they landed at their usual meet up at practically the same time.

They both gave awkward bows as they hurried to their spots. In front of each of them was already a cup of hot tea. 

“I suspect that you have questions for me?”

Marinette shared a look with Chat Noir, who shrugged. How did he know…? 

“Yes, master. There has been some weird stuff happening with our powers lately.” Marinette took a hesitant sip of her tea. Delicious as always.

Master Fu raised his eyebrows, but there was a glint of amusement in his tone. “Oh? What sort of ‘weird stuff’?”

“She purred, I got cold, she could see and hear pretty well. Not to mention the weird empathy, thought sharing… stuff that happens sometimes.” Chat Noir raised a finger for each point, but Master Fu seemed unconcerned as he raised his cup to his face. Chat’s cat ears perked up. “Oh! And there was that time we swapped who could do Cataclysm and Lucky Charm. Then that last akuma when we did something weird with Cataclysm.”

Fu jerked back in surprise. “The central abilities of your miraculous were swapped?”

“Yes, master,” they replied simultaneously.

“I see. This is excellent news!” Master Fu folded his hands together and smiled. “You two are moving quicker than I had anticipated.”

“This… is supposed to happen?” Marinette asked in confusion. She didn’t see how it could be helpful to have their powers randomly swap for no discernable reason. Although… the destruction orb had been useful.

“You need not worry. This is perfectly natural.” Master Fu stood and retrieved a tablet from the shelf. He flipped through the familiar pictures of the book they’d briefly stolen from Gabriel before settling on an illustration of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous. “It is believed that, in the beginning, the kwamis of creation and destruction were one and the same - the kwami of reality.”

“But they aren’t anymore,” Chat mused, as he cupped his chin. “When did they get split? And what does this have to do with us now?”

“Patience, young one. The kwami of reality was to be bound into one miraculous five thousand years ago, but their power was too great. The kwami was split into two parts - creation and destruction - and bound to separate miraculous. Even then, the legendary sorcerer only barely survived. But this origin is unique among all the miraculous.” 

He flipped to the next page on the screen, showing another illustration. This one was of a person glowing with energy, the earrings and black cat ring worn simultaneously. 

“These miraculous are the only ones that can be safely worn by one person at once.”

“Huh? Are the others really that dangerous?”

“Alone, no. But the miraculous were designed to be worn one at a time. Two at once can overwhelm an individual and cause terrible damage. To themselves, to the people around them, sometimes even to the miraculous.”

Chat sighed. “And there goes my dreams of Dragon Chat…”

Marinette elbowed him in the side. “Be serious!” Despite her words, there was a faint smile at her lips.

“The other unique quality is the power sharing you have mentioned. Essentially, once there is a powerful tie between the users, the miraculous begin reconnecting as well. Energy can be shared between them - minor quirks of those powers are often first, like with cat and ladybug tendencies. But this shared energy has incredibly versatile potential, culminating in the ultimate ability of the two - mastery over reality itself.”

There was silence as the two processed what Master Fu was saying. Eventually Chat Noir spoke up.

“So… a wish?”

Master Fu pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Chat Noir. A wish.” He fixed them each with a stern look. “But do not rush to that skill - it requires an immense amount of training to achieve and even then should only be used sparingly. Toying with reality often has dire consequences, although it is necessary at times as a final resort. There are some problems that can only be repaired with a wish.”

“I think I understand.” Marinette rubbed one of her earrings between her fingers. She narrowed her eyes in thought. “You said the kwami were bound to the miraculous. Was that by choice?”

“The kwami are benevolent beings who had yearned to assist mankind since the beginning. The sorcerer merely convinced them that the miraculous was the best way to achieve this.”

“But why?” Marinette tilted her head, remembering the events of Style Queen and her team up with Plagg. “The kwami seem plenty powerful by themselves.”

“Your question holds the answer: The kwami are powerful. _Too_ powerful. The miraculous acts as a filter so that they do not harm the world around them by accident.” Master Fu frowned and stared at Chat Noir - or, more specifically, his ring. “Hiccups in that design have lead to… accidents.” He shook himself out of his memories. “Which reminds me. Hawkmoth has been clawing at these restraints for some time now.”

“What makes you say that?” Marinette ignored the spear of panic that pierced her heart. The idea of her nemesis breaking those filters worried her immensely.

“His akumas have grown more and more powerful, all the while becoming less and less cooperative. More often than not, the akumas turn on their master. Besides the obvious reasons, Hawkmoth dismantling these restrictions can have devastating consequences. At best, the miraculous gets broken, which is something that is not easily fixed. At worst… he gets the power he so craves. More than he could ever hope to handle.”

Marinette shared a look with Chat Noir and was pleased to find the steely determination in his eyes. “We will do everything it takes to defeat Hawkmoth before that can happen.”

“I am glad. For now, the best we can do - short of discovering his identity - is to hone your newfound abilities. I am certain that mastery of them will prove vital in the coming battles.”

With that, they spent the remainder of their time in meditation and the fine manipulation of energy. Once they had a handle on where to find their opposite power, it became easier to draw on it, however crudely they did it. The real difficulty came from their physical reaction to that power. Marinette quickly became nauseous using the power of the black cat, while Chat Noir became exhausted. Master Fu assured them that once they got used to the energy, these side effects would fade away. 

It was in the earliest hours of the day that they finally left, Marinette wanting nothing more than to go home and sleep in. But she didn’t make a few steps out the door before Chat Noir had snagged her wrist.

“Um, m’lady? Can we… talk?” His ears were flat to his head and he struggled to meet her eyes. The poor boy was struggling.

She remembered her talks with Tikki. “If this is a romantic thing, Chat, can we please not-”

“No, no, it isn’t like that, I promise. But this is something that I need to tell you…” He looked around theatrically. “...Away from any prying eyes and ears.”

She sighed, already yearning for her warm bed. “Alright, Chat. Lead the way.”


	19. Identity Reveal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien finally confesses that he knows who is under the Ladybug mask.

The rooftop was as isolated as Adrien could have hoped. They stood atop an empty house, late at night, with the wind muffling their words and the cover of night giving a layer of concealment. Just the two of them, the one person Adrien trusted more than anyone else in the world. It was about as perfect a scenario as he was ever going to get.

But even then, he was gripping the railing too tightly as he looked out over the city rather than at her. The situation may have been perfect, but it didn’t make things any easier. He’d been trying to gather his courage for the last ten minutes. Saying something - anything - would be preferable to this silence, but the jokes and puns that he always used to console himself refused to come to mind now. There wasn’t anything to distract him from his fear. 

At least, not until Ladybug sighed and he looked back to see her shivering in place. “This has been great and all, kitty, but I need to go to bed soon and-”

“I know who you are!” Adrien blurted it out, desperation forcing his hand. He almost immediately regretted it when he saw how wide her eyes got, but there was no going back now. “I know who you are,” he repeated, more calmly.

Ladybug schooled her expression in a playful smile, but he could see the undercurrent of panic in her eyes. “Very cute, kitty, but there’s no way you could know-”

“Marinette.”

Her eyes instinctively darted to him when he said her name. “Wah-what? No… I’ve never even heard of her before.”

Adrien scoffed. If anything, that just confirmed his suspicions. How could anyone overlook Marinette, unless they _were_ her? A timid smile found its way onto his face. 

“Well, I’m at least glad you liked the shirt I gave you.”

“What?” Her face scrunched up as she shifted gears in her thought process. “The Jagged Stone one? I only ever wore that shirt at home.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you a peeping tom cat?”

“No! I was just-” He took a deep breath. “You’ll understand in a minute… boss.” He could already see her eyes start to widen as he took a step back. “Claws in.”

“Chat, no! We can’t-” 

When he looked back at her, she was covering her eyes and otherwise doing her best not to look at him. He closed the distance between them and grabbed her wrists, gently pulling them away from her face.

“Marinette, please. Look at me.”

Hesitantly, she faced him, eyes widening as she looked at him. A shiver went down his spine that had nothing to do with the cold. _Ladybug_ was looking at _Adrien_. It was irrational, he knew, but this was the moment of truth. Everything had been laid bare. Now it was just down to what she felt and all Adrien could do was stand there and be seen by her. 

Her initial reaction was promising - her jaw dropped, her eyes sparkled, and her hands reached out for his. But then the moment passed. Her face became pale and her eyes wide. She backed away from him, slowly at first. He could barely hear her over the wind, as if she was mumbling to herself.

“I always thought- But you couldn’t be… No no no no no!” She shook her head slowly never taking her eyes off of him. “I… I’m sorry, Adrien. I just- I need to go.”

And just like that, she was gone, swinging away from him. No doubt towards the bakery, but he didn’t track her retreat. Instead, he’d crumbled to his knees and buried his face into his hands.


	20. Crushes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The direct aftermath of the last chapter.

Tikki hovered above her charge, who was laying face down on her bed, clutching a pillow close to her. There were tears glistening at the corners of her wide eyes as she stared at the wall… where her small mural to Adrien was set up. The reveal had happened and precisely what Tikki had feared would happen had come to pass. 

This was a volatile situation and while she was sure Marinette would be fine eventually, she needed to take action now to be sure that these feelings didn’t sink in. Tikki knew she needed to take this very carefully. 

“Marinette…?” She drifted closer to her chosen, who remained completely focused on staring ahead. “Marinette, do you want to talk about this?” Her eyes flickered to Tikki before settling back to where they had been looking. “Please, I know this is a lot to take in-”

“It changes everything, Tikki!” Marinette sat up suddenly, still clutching her pillow as the tears threatened to fall. “All this time I’ve been scared about knowing who he was. If I knew, maybe I’d hesitate to put him in danger. And that was just knowing for sure that there was a real person behind that mask.” She ran a hand through her hair, freed from the usual pigtails to hang at her shoulders. “Just... him being a random person, nobody I knew.”

Tikki stayed quiet. This was something Marinette needed to say without interference.

“But he isn’t a random person! He’s Adrien. I… I love him. What would I do if something happens to him?”

“Did you love Chat Noir? Before you knew he was Adrien, I mean.” 

“No! Well,” she paused, uncertain. Tikki waited patiently. “Yeah, I guess? Maybe not the same way I cared for Adrien but…”

“...But you would have been heartbroken if you had lost him, even then.” Tikki settled on her shoulder. “If that weren’t the case, you never would have had the bond necessary to use his powers. Neither of you would have made it this far.”

Marinette tucked her knees close to her chest. 

“If you need to talk some more, I’m here for you, Marinette.” Tikki rose to seek out some cookies. It had been a long night for everyone. Hopefully they’d be able to get past this, for all their sakes. 

\----------------------

“Claws in.”

Plagg emerged from the ring as Adrien landed in his room. It had taken some coaxing to get his chosen up and moving. Even with the cold wind and darkness, Adrien wasn’t very motivated to go home. Or really, do much of anything besides mope.

A noise drew Plagg’s attention back to Adrien, who had collapsed onto his bed after pulling a body pillow close to him. A frustrated frown tugged at the kwami’s lips as he went to his chosen’s side. He hadn’t expected Pigtails to react the way she did - how was he supposed to know that she wouldn’t appreciate giving their relationship a little… nudge. 

“Hey, kid-”

A withering glare silence Plagg. Not that he expected anything different, but coming from Adrien, it still caught him off guard. Plagg sighed and hide in the trash can with his stash of camembert. Best thing he could do was give the kid some space. They’d have to talk it out eventually and there wasn’t anything he could do in the meantime. 

No matter how much it hurt to hear his chosen trying to cry as quietly as possible.


	21. A Rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien meet up again at school.

Something wasn’t right. It didn’t take being Marinette’s best friend to see that much. The normally excitable and over energetic girl had her head resting on her arms, staring listlessly ahead. Not even the sight of her crush right in front of her was doing anything to relieve whatever was weighing on her mind.

Maybe that was because Adrien wasn’t looking too hot either. When Alya had passed him on the way to her seat, she had seen the bags under his eyes. A lack of sleep would be one thing, but she’d seen that enough in both him and Marinette to know this wasn’t it. If she had to guess, she’d say that he must have been spending a lot of his time crying lately. She’d tried texting her boyfriend about it, but he’d only shrugged without turning around. Whatever was going on with him wasn’t something he’d talked about to anyone. 

The strangest part of all had been when Marinette had arrived and Adrien had given a half-hearted ‘hey’ in greeting, unable to even meet her eyes. There was no blush or stutter from her friend and she’d simply said a quiet ‘hey’ in return. It wasn’t anything world shattering, but the simple words had felt loaded with meaning yet completely exhausted emotionally. 

Alya couldn’t manage to tease any conversation out of Marinette and class started before she could figure out anything else. As class attendance went on, she was torn between trying to find out what exactly was wrong and how to make Marinette feel better. She’d gotten about as far as getting the girls together sometime this week to cheer her up when Ms Bustier made an announcement

“As I’m sure you are all aware, the project deadline is coming up. Or, more specifically, the midpoint check in. While you don’t need to have the project finished, there needs to be an appreciable amount of work done. I don’t want anyone doing this last minute, so make sure to schedule some time with your partners to have something presentable by this time next week. Are there any questions?”

A few hands went up, but Alya’s attention was drawn to Adrien as he turned around. He only had eyes for Marinette as he looked up at her questioningly. There was a tense moment between them, Marinette’s face unreadable as she stared at him. Eventually, she nodded curtly. Adrien turned back around. 

Alya’s eyes darted between them, completely baffled. What was going on here?

\------------------------

Later that night, Marinette was sitting in her room, making sure everything was tidy. Adrien had sent her a short text explaining that he’d be arriving once an after-school photoshoot finished. Not that he really needed to explain - she had already known about it and figured that’s what he had meant. 

She hated all of this. Hated the kicked puppy look he had given her. Hated that she was the one who caused it. Hated that she didn’t know what to feel. Anger - at herself for her reaction, or at him for this reveal? There was still fear. It was hard not to be afraid when everything she was scared of happening in a reveal had happened. Did she drive a wedge between them that they’d never be able to get past?

And, yet… somehow… they were supposed to put all that aside and get work done on their project. A project that were still struggling to get info on for the past miraculous users, despite that tantalizing lead. A small smile tugged at her lips as she realized that it would be Ladybug and Chat Noir giving a presentation on… Ladybug and Chat Noir. No wonder Adrien had leapt at the chance to do this. It gave him an excuse to look up more about her.

The thought caused her short lived good mood to come crashing down. He’d found out more than he’d ever bargained for. Would he feel the same way now that the mystery was gone? 

There was a knock at her trapdoor and she managed to say, “Come in,” despite the way her mouth went dry.

Adrien stepped through the door, one hand strangling the strap of his bag and the other holding onto the stem of a red rose.


	22. True Love's Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette talk through things.

Marinette wasn’t sure how long they spent staring at each other, but after what felt like an eternity, she shook herself out of it. The image of the rose was still in her head when she turned back toward her computer and started opening up the relevant files.

“So, um, we have plenty on the… the present miraculous users, we just need to figure out-”

“Marinette.”

“I figure if you work on this half of newspapers from that time, I can take the other half and-”

“Marinette!” 

She sighed and hung her head as Adrien pulled the chaise up next to her and sat down. 

“What?” She said, defeatedly. A thousand different possibilities ran through her head in an instant, each a worse scenario than the last.

He held the rose out to her, his look soft as he watched her. “For you, m’lady… boss...” He cleared his throat. “For you, Marinette.”

Tentatively, she reached out for it, rolling it in her hands to see the flower from all angles. The faint scent wafted up to her, bringing a ghost of a smile to her lips. She gently set it down beside her before returning her gaze to the keyboard in front of her. 

“We have to talk eventually, you know.”

Her eyes flickered to him. “...Do we have to?”

He laughed, but there was an edge of panic to it. “Yes, I think so.” He stared at his ring as he fidgeted with it. “I know I’m not who you expected me to be. I’m sure you’re… disappointed, maybe even mad. But I…” He took a deep, shuddering breath as he struggled to keep talking “...I promise I’m still behind you, one hundred percent.” 

Then he was looking at her and she quickly looked away, blushing. “I’m… I’m sorry, Adrien. I didn’t mean for it to turn out like this.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m just scared.”

His head tilted. “Scared?”

“I know it’s not very Ladybug-like of me…”

He chuckled. “No, no. Its not that. I was there the first day, remember? I knew you weren’t confident and brave all the time.” He watched her curiously. “But what is there to be scared of now?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she suddenly stood, throwing her hands in the air and pacing. “What about the fact that the boys I love the most are one and the same? And one of them - _Chat_ \- keeps throwing himself head first into danger. Why would I _possibly_ be freaked out by that?” She stopped and glared at him, hands on her hips.

His eyes were wide. “You… love me?”

Her blush spread across her checks and down her neck. She covered her face, her voice muffled by her hands. “ _That’s_ what you got out of that?”

She heard him stand and he took her hands in his as he pried them away from her face. He was crouching down to look up at her, eyes bright for the first time all day.

“I’m so sorry, Marinette. I just hate to see you get hurt, so I make sure to take all the hits that are aimed at you. Besides, I know you’ll always win the day, even without me.”

There were tears in her eyes when she replied, “Just because I _can_ win alone doesn’t mean I want to.” She raised a hand to cup his cheek as he stood up straight. “I always want you by my side.”

He covered her hand with his, smiling. “I’m not going anywhere, m’lady.”

There was a long moment where she was trying to glare up at him, as if she could intimidate him into keeping his word. Before long, she broke down and abruptly rushed forward, throwing her arms around his neck and resting her head against his chest. “I’m going to hold you to that, kitty.”

His arms wrapped around her waist as he nuzzled his nose into her hair. She felt her insecurities melt in his embrace. Tomorrow might not be promised, but here and now he was safe in her arms.

“That’s great you two. Now, do you have any cheese around here? I’d prefer camembert.”

Marinette pulled away to see Plagg floating nearby. Adrien was glaring daggers at him, which the cat kwami was resolutely ignoring. 

Before Adrien could tear into his kwami, Tikki chimed in, “While I’m glad the two of you have reconciled, there is another reason you two met up today, yes?” 

“Just one more thing before we move on,” Marinette said. When Adrien looked down at her curiously, she rolled forward on her toes, moving their lips closer together. She hesitated at the last moment - what if he didn’t want to rush into a relationship in all this confusion?

While she hesitated, Adrien leaned down and pulled her into her first real kiss. It didn’t last long, and neither of them was sure of what they were doing, but it flooded her body with warmth nonetheless. They parted in a haze, returning to the chair and chaise that they started in. For a long few minutes they simply smiled blankly at their screens. 

Marinette was still recovering when Adrien said, “Oh! I almost forgot. I know who has the one known photo of the previous miraculous duo!”

He beamed at her and she patted his head. “Well done, kitty! Who was it?”

“My father, weirdly enough.”

She blinked. “Really?” 

Then again, he had the magic grimoire. Maybe he was just intrigued when he saw people that looked similar to the costumes? That wouldn’t be too much of a stretch, even if he didn’t seem to have that same interest in the modern miraculous users. 

“Yeah, it was a surprise to me too. Anyway, I asked if we could borrow it for a project, but he just glared at me and said no.” He grinned. “But it shouldn’t be hard for Plagg and I to track it down.” He scratched under Plagg’s chin as he pulled out a piece of camembert for his kwami. “That phasing through things ability really comes in handy.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Of course! What’s the worst that could happen?”


	23. Blindsided

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien and Marinette finish making up, Nino and Alya notice some changes, and Adrien tries to get that photo for his lady.

Adrien snickered and Marinette smacked his arm in mock annoyance.

“Why would you even say something like that? Are you trying to jinx us?!”

“This isn’t a horror movie, m’lady. What’s so bad about saying ‘what could go wrong’? Even if it was a jinx, I have my good luck charm right here.” She expected him to hold up the charm she had made for him, but instead, he grabbed her wrist and held up her hand as if presenting her to herself. 

She blushed and bumped his shoulder, “You’re a dork.”

“But you love me anyway,” he said, waggling his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” she whispered, catching him off guard. “I do.” 

She slouched back in her chair, staring at him while biting at her lower lip. It was clear to Adrien that she was struggling with something, but for the life of him he couldn’t tell what. Reading Marinette wasn’t quite as easy as reading her alter ego, but he was getting there. Not knowing what else to do, he reached out and gently placed his hand on top of hers. To his surprise, that made her tense up before sagging her shoulders.

“Adrien…” She raised her head to look at him. “I’m so sorry. I was so caught up in my own fears, I didn’t even think about what they would do to you.” 

He flashed a weak smile at her and said soothingly, “Don’t worry about it.”

She shook her head. “No, Adrien. I can’t just brush that away - I want you to know that I’m done running. From here on out, we’re together, no matter what.” She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his. “I care about you. So, so much. I want you to know how much you mean to me.”

Adrien felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes as he squeaked out, “And how do you intend to do that, boss?”

The space between them was hot from their breaths as Marinette’s lips drew closer to his. 

“By telling you every day how much I love you, to start with.” 

He smiled against her lips, letting his doubts leave his body through the happy tears running down his face. 

“That’s a good place to start.”

\-----------------------

Contrary to expectations, they did manage to get enough done on their actual project to show Ms Bustier. Well, contrary to their kwamis’ expectations, at least. More than a couple times, Tikki had broken them up to keep them on task, and Plagg had thoroughly ruined the atmosphere when he decided he wanted a late afternoon cheese break. 

When Adrien finally went home, he felt better than he had in a very long time. It might have sounded sappy to say, but Marinette telling him her true feelings toward him… ignited something inside. There was finally someone in his corner, someone who cared about him for him, and not just because of what he could do for them, or for a company. He felt energized, and with that energy came a burning desire to not disappoint Marinette. 

He had told her that he would get the photo that his father had hidden away somewhere inside the mansion, and he had every intention of doing so. Even as the days went by and the search continued…

\---------------------------

The two of them had decided to keep their relationship subtle at first, but he could tell that Alya and Nino had started to pick up on their well hidden ruse. All four of them had decided, about midway through the week, that they’d go to the park afterschool. 

“Okay,” Alya said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Adrien replied as he held onto Marinette tighter. 

Her eyebrow twitched and Nino chuckled. “I _mean_ , what’s with all… _this_.” She gestured at Marinette leaning her head against Adrien’s shoulder and his arm wrapped around her waist. “Just a couple days ago, the two of you could barely look at each other and now you’re way close.” She leaned forward on her elbows and looked into their eyes as if she could look straight into their heads. “What. Happened?”

Adrien shared a look with Marinette, and made ‘go-ahead’ gesture. 

“Oh! Um, well, there was a bit of a… misunderstanding. So we met up later to talk it out and, uh… yeah. We talked a lot and figured out that we really cared about each other so…” She trailed off, looking up at Adrien, who nodded furiously.

Alya and Nino shared a look. 

“Dude, you were a total mess on Monday. That feels like a little more than a ‘misunderstanding’, my bro.”

“And you,” Alya pointed her finger at Marinette. “You went from barely keeping your cool around him-” 

“Well, I _am_ Hot Stuff.” Adrien grinned.

“Yup, you’re definitely full of hot air,” she quipped back at him as she jabbed him with her elbow.

“-to flirting like Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Alya seemed pleased at the way their eyes widened. In the ensuing silence, Alya crossed her arms and leaned back.

“Ladybug and Chat Noir don’t flirt,” Marinette finally grumbled. 

“Well, they sorta do, dudes.” Nino smirked. “Even if they don’t realize it.”

Adrien leaned forward while Marinette groaned. “We’re telling the truth. Even if you don’t believe us, all that really matters is that we are together _now_ , right?” He glanced between their two friends, who deflated.

“Yeah, I guess… But I’ll get that story out of you two eventually.” Alya took a sip of her drink. “Even if only because I’ll need it when I make my wedding speech.”

Alya laughed when the two of them began blushing furiously. 

\------------------------------

Adrien was sitting in his room, having just gotten off the phone with Marinette. It had been a full week since they had talked things through. So far, she’d stayed true to her word and had made sure that she told him everyday how much he meant to her. It wasn’t something he ever really got used to, and each time his pulse raced like it was the first time. He felt beyond fortune that she’d fallen in love with him. His fingers ran over the lucky charms that she had made for him - both sides of him. She’d done so much for him and he’d never even realized it.

Which made it all the more important to him to find that photo. Not just for their grades, but because he didn’t want to let her down on something so small. It was _his_ house after all - how hard could it be to find something in it?

As it turns out - very difficult, especially since he was usually expected to be inside his room, working on one thing or another. It was only when he started pushing the boundaries of his cage that he realized just how small it was. Even just roaming his own home provoked suspicion. It meant that he had to leave Plagg to do most of the exploring, but that was fine. There had already been one secret safe. Maybe there were others? Adrien wouldn’t be helpful in finding them, so maybe it was for the best that his kwami search alone.

The sound of the mini fridge in Adrien’s room opening and closing let him know that Plagg had returned. The smile on his face vanished when he saw how Plagg’s tail was swishing back and forth in irritation as he ate a wedge of camembert. 

“Something wrong?”

Plagg’s eyes flickered toward him. “I found your picture. Found something else too. Something I missed earlier.”

After it became clear that he wasn’t going to add anything else to that, Adrien stood up. “Well, can you take me to where you found it?”

“...Yeah, I can do that. Everyone is sleeping anyway, and you need to see this.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know why it's here, but it can’t mean anything good. Not in the state that it's in.”

“Are you just going to dance around saying what ‘it’ is then?” Adrien said, jokingly.

Plagg glared at him, surprising Adrien. It wasn’t often that his kwami was anything other than a lazy glutton. Whatever he saw must have been super important if he was getting this serious.

“You’ll see in a minute.”

Plagg guided him along darkened corridors until they came across a room that was achingly familiar to Adrien. The air was stale, like the room had barely been touched since it was left over a year ago. His father couldn’t stand to be in there after… after she disappeared. It had been a long time since Adrien had been here. There were memories of his mom laying sick in that bed, just weeks before she was gone without a trace. 

While Adrien felt his throat choke up from the long untouched memories, Plagg floated along as if all was normal. He stopped in front of a family portrait hung opposite the large double bed. 

“It’s behind this. I can unlock it for you after you take down the picture.”

With hands that shook ever so slightly, he removed the painting from its place, revealing a sturdy safe. Why did his father have so many of these scattered around the house?

Wordlessly, Plagg phased through the safe. The dial spun wildly and swung open. Inside was two objects - a picture of two superheroes seated on a rooftop, legs hanging over the edge like he and Ladybug did so often. And a broach with blue gems and seafoam green feathers metal feathers. 

“The peacock miraculous,” Plagg supplied as Adrien picked it up. “What is it doing here…?”

Adrien took the picture. The man had a stupid haircut and a silver domino mask, his outfit sleek and elegant - more like a suit for a fancy party than a suit of armor. He gestured with a black cane set with a purple gem, as if in the middle of telling a story. There was a flicker of familiarity in the man, but he didn’t recognize him until he saw the butterfly gem pinned at his throat - Hawkmoth!

His eyes turned to the woman, whose indigo dress shimmered even in the stillness of the photo. The same miraculous that Adrien held in his other hand was the same one that was pinned to her overcoat. She wore long gloves and wedged boots and was laughing at whatever the other person was saying, but he realized two things in rapid succession. 

First, the woman was his mother. It was difficult to tell, but he could feel it deep in his bones until he felt something insubstantial break like glass until he knew without question. This woman, who wore the peacock miraculous was his mother. It wasn’t hard to piece together who the other man was after that. 

The enchantment broke a second time, and Adrien was suddenly perfectly aware that his father was Hawkmoth.

“Now, kid, you need to think-”

“Plagg, claws out.”


	24. Giving Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a rough night for Adrien.

The walls of his home always felt stifling, no matter how big the rooms were, but tonight they were practically crushing him. Even the barest comfort that it usually gave him was gone as panic speared his heart. Hyperventilating, there was only one thing he could do - run. Looking back, he didn’t know what means of exit he’d taken, everything past the realization a blur as the rooftops flew underneath him. His body was pushed to its limits as he bounded as fast as he could - away from his home, away from his father.

Away from Hawkmoth. 

He’d always known that they’d have to face him eventually. They couldn’t stay in this cycle of akuma battles forever. Adrien just didn’t think that he’d have a familiar face. In all his fantasies of beating up their arch-enemy, he’d never thought… All this time, there had been the hope that maybe one day, his father would finally be able to move on from his grief and be the parent that Adrien needed him to be. But that wasn’t meant to be. 

His foot caught on something and he tumbled forward. The wind was knocked out of him as his momentum carried him some distance across the roof. He didn’t get up, instead curling in on himself, pulling his head towards his chest as he squeezed his eyes shut, willing away the outside world. 

Maybe he just wasn’t meant to be happy after all. 

\-------------------------

Marinette wasn’t sure if it was simple luck or something bigger than that, but she happened to be looking out her window at just the right time to see a dark shape move across the nighttime skyline of Paris. She might not have thought much of it, since Chat Noir had always enjoyed his late night runs, but something about it brought a frown to her face, made her watch his progress.

Her heart skipped a beat when he fell and didn’t get back up. She flew up out of her chair, already scrambling for her skylight, when she called out, “Tikki, spots on!”

The street between them was crossed swiftly. Finding Chat Noir proved slightly more difficult since he had curled up into a fetal position on the cold and dusty rooftop, and was barely making a sound. Her eyes roved over his body, but she saw no sign of any wounds. At least, nothing physical. She put a hand on his shoulder and he jerked, pulling away with wide eyes. Recognition flared and he sagged in relief. He leaned forward and she caught him in her arms before he could collapse back onto the roof. 

Her partner was shaking like a leaf. “Chat… what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

A tortured sob was wrenched out of him. “It’s _him_ , Marinette. Just like you thought way back when. I didn’t want to believe it, but he tricked us.”

“What are you talking about?” He didn’t respond. “Ch- Adrien. Listen to me. I’m here.” She leaned her forehead against his. “You’re going to be okay. But you need to tell me what this is about. I can’t help you until you let me know what’s wrong.” 

“I… I…” His shaking faded to a slight tremor. “I just… I need a minute.”

“Alright,” she said as she scooped him up into her arms, his arms flailing for her neck. “We’re going to my room then.” She carried him princess style back to her balcony and dropped in through her skylight. There, they both dropped their transformations. “So what’s got you-”

“His dad is Hawkmoth,” came a small, angry voice beside her. She blinked down at Plagg’s bright green eyes as his words hit her. 

“Oh… Oh God, Adrien,” she looked at him with sympathetic eyes, “I’m so sorry.”

He covered his face with his hands as he laid on her bed. “So am I. I should’ve known. He’s my own father! How could I not have?”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much, kid,” Plagg landed on Adrien’s stomach. “I didn’t even see it coming. That’s the magic of the glamor for you. Without tangible evidence…”

“Evidence?” Marinette glanced between them.

Adrien stuck a hand in his pocket and pulled out a broach and a photograph. “I’m sure Master Fu will be happy, at least.”

Tikki gasped as she flew over to it. “Is that…?”

“Dusuu’s place? Yeah. But looks like nobody’s home.” Plagg floated beside her. 

Marinette took the photo from Adrien. The kwamis appeared on either side of her. 

“Oh dear…” Tikki muttered.

“You’re telling _me_ , sugarcube.” Plagg shook his head. “Anyway, that’s how the kid found out.”

“But who is the woman?” Marinette asked

“Mom,” Adrien whispered and Marinette looked up to see him gripping a pillow close to his chest. His emerald eyes locked onto her. “She was a superhero too.”

She leaned forward to cup his cheek. “And I know she’d be proud of you, kitty. I know I am.”

He ducked his head. “Thanks.”

“No matter what happens, I am going to be right by your side the whole way.” He let out a shaky breath and she pressed forward. “But you know what we have to do now, right? If you want to stay behind, I’d understand-”

“No. You need me - now more than ever.”

“Maybe I can get Master Fu to lend me some help.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed. “I don’t want you to have to fight your own father, Adrien.”

“I haven’t had a father in a long time, Marinette.” He shook his head and there was a spark in his eye. “We have to stop him. Now and tonight.”

“After all this, I don’t think we’ll be able to talk him down…” She warned. Adrien was a sweet boy and this was usually a quality she admired in him, but it also meant that he was willing to give people more chances than they might deserve.

He looked her in the eye and it broke her heart to see the pain there. “I know.”


	25. Hawkmoth's Defeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir prepare for their confrontation with Hawkmoth.

The darkness clung to them as they returned to the Agreste mansion. If all went well, they’d find Gabriel Agreste in his bed, take his miraculous without a fight, and turn him into the police. But where Hawkmoth is concerned, when do things ever good well? After all, there was a limit to how lucky Marinette was. 

They landed on the window sill to Adrien’s room and while he worked on opening it from the outside, Marinette watched him carefully. Ever since they had left her room, he’d been quiet, withdrawn. Not that she could blame him. It was easy to crack jokes during an akuma fight when you knew that the Ladybug cure would fix everything. But no matter what happened tonight, there wouldn’t be any going back. There wasn’t a magical cure for supervillain family members. 

The latch gave way and they landed inside his room. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t imagined visiting him like this before - suited up as Ladybug, late at night, even entering through the window. She had never managed to gather the nerves for it, but it had been a constant daydream of hers. After the reveal, and after all this... It didn’t feel as romantic anymore. 

She realized she’d stopped when her eyes landed on her kitty staring at her with those piercing green eyes. 

“Where to next?” The faint smile that had been on his lips vanished like smoke in the wind, and she winced. “I’m sorry, Chat. But the sooner we get done, the sooner we can put all of this behind us.”

He nodded slowly. “I know.” She followed as he exited his bedroom. “It’s pretty late - even he has to be in bed by now.”

“I don’t know, remember when he sent out that akumatized university student at three in the morning?”

“I wish I didn’t,” he said with a chuckle. “I had a photoshoot early that morning, and got yelled at for being so tired looking. Took ages for the make up artists to make me look alive. And to think he ruined his own photoshoot…” He trailed off, the short-lived mirth quickly being snuffed out by that unreadable, flinty stare. 

The halls were wide enough that she was able to stand beside him and snake her hand into his. She gave it a squeeze just as they stopped outside a large, ornate door.

“Whatever happens… we’re in this together.”

“Right, we always are.”

“Not just in this fight. When we’re done here, I’m taking you home with me. I’m not going to leave you here by yourself.”

His eyes glistened as he took a long look at her. In a voice barely above a whisper he replied, “Thank you. For everything.”

She nodded. “I couldn’t have asked for a better partner. Now let’s finish this.”

On the count of three, they quietly opened the bedroom doors… only to find the bed empty. Chat Noir growled and kicked the bedside table in frustration.

“So much for catching him asleep.” Marinette cupped her chin. “He must be in his lair, right? And that’s got to be somewhere in your house.” 

“Yeah, probably, but do you know how long it took me to find just the peacock miraculous? This place has a ton of hidden spots.”

“Maybe, but he can’t be that far away from it at any given time. Where does he usually spend of his days?”

Chat Noir opened his mouth, then closed it. He considered the question. As the silence stretched on, she began getting restless. She lightly tapped on his forehead with one finger.

“Hey. I can see the gears moving in your head, kitty. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Well… he almost never leaves his office if he can help it. And I remember once, I found this big book of heroes in there, and the peacock miraculous.” He scratched the back of his neck. “He must have moved it after I took the book. I guess he didn’t trust me not to snoop any more.”

“We’ll start there then,” she nodded and headed off in that direction. She wasn’t entirely certain where she was going, but it at least gave her a sense of purpose. Standing around was fraying her nerves. 

He hustled to keep pace behind her. “But there was already one secret safe in there! Do you really think he’d have a hidden passageway too?”

“Sure! Why not? And right now, it’s all we’ve got to go on.” Chat didn’t have anything to say to that and they arrived in the office in silence. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the tall picture of Adrien’s mother. 

“That’s where the safe is,” he supplied. 

Clearly, Emilie Agreste was still important to the boys of the household. And if Gabriel was willing to hide the incredibly important miraculous things behind her painting then maybe…

She put her face against the wall and looked across the flat plane of the portrait. When she saw slight indents in some of the painting’s geometric shapes, she smiled mirthlessly. 

“Okay, kitty.” He stepped up close to her as she reached her hands up to the painting. “Here goes nothing…” She pressed the indents she could see and suddenly she was falling through the floor.

Well… not quite falling. It felt like an elevator of some kind. After traveling for long minutes, they were deposited inside an empty space with a large window that filtered in the moonlight. White, glowing butterflies fluttered around them. Their soft light did little to illuminate the room, leaving all but the center of the space still lost to shadow. Standing in the middle of that circle of light was none other than Hawkmoth himself. 

“This had better be important, Nathalie-” He turned around with an angry grimace only to go slack jawed and wide eyed as he saw the two of them settle into a battle stance. “What- How?! How could mere children have discovered my lair?!”

Marinette had expected Chat to say something, but the only change with him was a look of pure anger in his eyes as he glared at his father. 

“We know who you are, Gabriel! Your days of terrorizing Paris are over. Don’t make this any harder on yourself or your family. Surrender your miraculous!”

She’d been hoping that the mention of his family might snap him out of this, but instead it just seemed to make him angrier, more determined.

“Never!”

Chat Noir scoffed and locked eyes with Hawkmoth. “I could’ve told you that wouldn’t work. Gabriel Agreste doesn’t care about his family, about what he’s done to hurt them.”

“You wretched mongrel! Everything I’ve done is for-”

"Another word out of your lying, deceitful, mouth and I give up pretending I won't enjoy this." Her partner spoke in a growl.

“Bold words. Let’s see how well they stack up to reality.” He charged towards them. “At last, your miraculous are finally in my grasp! You will never have the opportunity to tell anyone who I am!”

Her yoyo zipped forward, reaching for his cane to rip it from his grasp, but he managed to bat it aside without much effort. This left him open when Chat Noir swung his baton into his side, knocking the air out Hawkmoth for a moment before he could get his cane in position for a duel. A moment which Chat used to keep pushing forward, unwilling to let Hawkmoth get any time to recover from this assault. The irony that he was using fencing skills that he’d built up thanks to Gabriel forcing him to do extra activities was not lost on Marinette as she flanked Hawkmoth. With her yoyo sneaking around and snaring limbs or tugging on his cane, it was only the older man’s greater experience and strength keeping him in the fight. He’d managed to block an incoming attack from Marinette and use the momentum to knock aside Chat’s baton. 

But as the battle dragged on, it was clear that he hadn’t been actively fighting in a long time. It was also clear that he was already getting tired. Soon they were pushing him back, out of the light and into the ring of darkness. She hoped that Chat was the only miraculous user with night vision, and not for the first time she wished that Master Fu could have told them more about the capabilities of their archnemesis. 

The baton and cane clashed one last time before the combatants leapt apart, staring at each other between the meters that separated them. Marinette had ended up right behind Chat Noir, twirling her yoyo as she carefully watched for which direction Hawkmoth would move towards. To her surprise, he just seemed to be inching backwards. 

“Chat. What’s behind him?” She whispered to her partner. The shadows were too deep for her to see through.

“Nothing,” he whispered back. “Just a blank wall.”

No sooner had he finished saying that then there was a mechanical sound of an automated door opening. Her partner let out a curse and ran forward, Marinette hot on his heels.

“He slammed some button on the wall and ran into a secret passage. We can’t let him get away!”

Several traps were sprung in Hawkmoth’s wake, but all of them were dispatched with ease. They were so hyper focused that the trap would barely have time to open it before they either smashed it to pieces or bypassed it entirely. Did Hawkmoth really think they would be able to slow them down that much?

They entered into another wide open space, but this one was significantly different than the empty observatory that the supervillain had fled. There were plants growing down here, kept alive by the warm glow of light from above. Fluttering between the vines and flowers were even more of the butterflies, with gently pulsing cocoons hanging from the leaves and stems. The feature that drew their attention was the large chamber that almost looked like a mechanical sarcophagus. 

A sarcophagus that had an occupant that she only recognized from pictures and paintings, who had been gone from her partner’s life long before Marinette showed up in it. She looked into Emilie Agreste’s face and felt a chill run down her spine. 

Hawkmoth stood at the base of the sarcophagus, a determined sneer on his face as he turned back towards them. It seemed that he was done running - in sight of his (late?) wife was where he intended to make his final stand.

Her partner seemed far worse for wear. He stood, transfixed as he gawked at the woman who might as well be sleeping for all she knew. His eyes were distant and blank, his body frozen as the world turned around him. She had to pull him back with her yoyo when it became clear he wasn’t going to block Hawkmoth’s cane as he came crashing towards him. 

As she settled into a fighting stance, yoyo twirling into a shield, she heard her boyfriend muttering, “All this time… she was right here…”

Her heart broke, but she didn’t have time to comfort him as she locked into a duel with Hawkmoth. Despite his newfound determination, he was still tired from their earlier struggle and she was at the top of her game. Her only problem was that she didn’t have the advantage in such close quarters. Keeping him at arm’s length was about all she could do without her partner. 

Her concentration slipped and Hawkmoth swept her legs. He was just about to swing his cane down at her when he was knocked off his feet as well by Chat Noir’s extending baton. 

“You _bastard_!” Chat Noir shouted as he barreled towards his father, swinging madly in his fury. 

Marinette rolled to her feet and helped her partner. Between the two of them, Hawkmoth could barely block every other hit and even that was pushing it. He was slipping, hits were landing, and there wasn’t much longer he’d be able to take this and keep standing. One last solid strike from Chat’s baton sent the older man tumbling across the room. He managed to pull himself up to a kneeling position.

“It’s over, Gabriel. You’ve lost.”

With his head still bowed he started laughing. “No. The miraculous bends to _my_ will, and I have power to spare.”

A black-purple aura surrounded him, hiding him from view, as the two of them watched in shock. Something less than human began to take shape beneath the swirling energy as Marinette realized that somehow… Hawkmoth had learned how to akumatize himself.


	26. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What are they willing to give up to make sure that Hawkmoth is defeated?

Adrien watched in stunned horror as the dark energy molded his father’s body like clay into something grotesque and terrible. 

An extra pair of arms burst from below his original set as his body swelled to double its size. Both sets of arms became long and gangly, but with wiry muscles lurking just underneath the skin. Feather-like antennae burst from beneath his face mask just as a gigantic pair of moth wings erupted from his back. His now clouded eyes peered around and Adrien wondered if he could even see any more. Hawkmoth’s face morphed from a noiseless scream of agony to a mask of fury as he turned toward their general direction. 

The sudden charge was expected, but even knowing that it was coming still didn’t prepare them for the sheer speed. Adrien felt the wind get knocked out of him as an elongated arm slammed into his body and threw him aside. It didn’t hurt as much as colliding with the wall did, but thankfully his suit protected him from the worst of it. As he rushed to his feet, he caught a glimpse of Ladybug, already taking a defensive stance.

Hawkmoth stood in the middle of the room, head stationary while his antennae twitched. He howled incomprehensibly as he barreled toward Adrien. The string of the yoyo wrapped around him, but didn’t even slow his charge, instead carrying Ladybug along with him as he attacked. With a better sense of his opponent’s speed, Adrien was able to dodge, but that was all he could do. Against this monstrous assault, a direct attack was just about impossible. 

Hoping to get some space to work with, Adrien leaped with his baton and snagged one of the pipes hanging from the ceiling. His eyes widened as Hawkmoth proved his wings were functional by ascending towards him. Not as quick as he was on the ground, but…

“Hey, LB? I don’t suppose you have any ideas?”

Her answer was to call out for her lucky charm. From this distance, it looked like a comically large, spotted perfume bottle. While he trusted his lady absolutely, he was left wondering if Tikki had made some sort of mistake. What could they possibly do with perfume? Assuming there was even perfume in it at all.

He tore his gaze away from her just in time to dodge the akumatized Hawkmoth’s attack. As he leapt to another pipe, his eyes widened as the pipe shook but didn’t break. Nothing but the best, he thought as he risked a glance towards his comatose mother. Even that brief look was enough to have his stomach tie up in knots. This really wasn’t a great day for him. 

“That’s it!” He breathed a sigh of relief as Ladybug exclaimed. “Chat! Can you break open some of those pipes? I need some airflow in here.”

“I’ll see what I can do, m’lady!” 

He turned his attention back to the ceiling and felt his heart sink as he saw the mess of metal tubes covering most of it. Taking a deep breath, he got to work. While struggling to keep ahead of the whirling fists always on his heels, he put an ear to the pipes that he landed on, listening for steam or air rather than the rush of water. After a few false leads, he found on, placed directly over the middle of the chamber. His claws failed to leave anything more than a scratch, but thankfully he had something more than just claws.

“Cataclysm!” The destructive energy wreathed his hand and he placed it against the piping, turning it to rust. Then he slammed his baton into it…

...Only for the pipe to hold. Adrien growled. Nothing but the best for good old Gabriel! How did he even _find_ metal that strong?

Seeing that Hawkmoth was about to reach him, Adrien almost moved on to the next pipe, but stopped himself when an idea popped into his head. He could probably take a hit, right? Seating himself on the pipe, he glared as his father came closer. 

“If only your family could see you now, Gabe!” He sneered at him. 

Something sparked behind Hawkmoth’s clouded eyes and he swung with both his fists. Despite doing his best to dodge out of the way, Adrien was still clipped by the brutal strike and sent careening into the ground. Not even his suit could dull the pain from that strike. As he fell, he heard a warbling cry from above as steam burst from the pipe and sprayed Hawkmoth. At least his plan worked. 

A web of yoyo strings caught him just before he hit the ground and Ladybug tried to pull him to his feet. Instead, Adrien yelped from the pain that shot up his arm and Ladybug recoiled in shock. More gingerly, she grabbed his good arm and helped him up. He had to favor one leg

“Stay still, kitty, and let’s hope this works.” She ran around the room, spraying the perfume before tossing it with all her might into the middle of the chamber where the steam was blasting down. It shattered on impact and Adrien had to cover his nose before the scent rolled over him. 

Up above, Hawkmoth was circling and his antennae were twitching wildly. He roared impotently as he clung to the ceiling. 

“That should give us a little time, chaton.” Ladybug appeared at his side, a pensive frown on her face. “Although, I don’t know what we’re going to do with that time.” She scooped him up to hide behind a column as Hawkmoth began throwing bits of masonry down at random. 

“Any idea where the akuma is?”

“I didn’t see an akuma go near him, which means he just… pooled the power inside himself.”

“How… what does that even mean?”

Ladybug threw her hands in the air. “I don’t know! But it can’t be any good if that’s the result.” She pinched her nose. “What do we even do?”

“Don’t look at me. I don’t even know where his _miraculous_ went. And I don’t think just beating him into submission is going to work if all we can do is hide from him.”

“Maybe we can combine our powers?”

Adrien glanced at his ring. Four paws remaining. “We can give it a shot.”

They sat down facing each other, Adrien’s leg proving less responsive than usual. He reached out mentally for the source of her power and felt a faint trickle as the energy began melding with his own. But something felt… off. With his mind open, he could sense the wild corruption raging above them, coiled around his father… and snared around his mother. It would take something big to overcome that. But Master Fu had given them warnings. Too much energy coursing through someone that wasn’t ready for it, hadn’t spent years training to handle it… they wouldn’t last. 

But it was the only way.

Adrien opened his eyes and made a wobbly stand, finding it difficult to get his bad leg under him. He looked up, to see Ladybug had already stood. Her expression was unreadable, but he could tell that she knew.

“I’m sorry, lovebug… But I have to do it. I’ve always taken the hit for you, and I’ve got to do it one more time. Paris will need Ladybug.”

He had more to say. About how this was his family’s fault so it was only fitting that he finish it. About how much he loved her. But he didn’t have the time for that when she pulled his face down and captured his lips with hers. While there was still only centimeters between them, she murmured against him:

“Paris might need Ladybug, but I need you.” 

Her yoyo wrapped around his body and he fell to the ground, completely entangled. His eyes widened in panic as she watched him. There was regret in her eyes, tears still unshed. But she was putting on a brave face. He hated it.

“NO! Don’t do this! Let _me_!”

“Not today, kitty.”

She turned around and faced the monster that had been his father, picking up the discarded perfume bottle. The scent was already fading, washed away by the steam. He landed on the ground and roared, but Ladybug, Marinette, _his lady_ , held up her hand with the lucky charm, brandished it towards the monster. She took a deep breath.

“Miraculous Ladybug!” 

A swarm of little ladybugs poured out in a cone shape, blasting into Hawkmoth and stopping his forward momentum. Unlike her usual cure, these ladybugs were black with lime green spots and they didn’t move beyond the cone that summoned them. Instead, they buffeted Hawkmoth and Adrien could only watch in trepidation as his monstrous form was torn off like layers of an onion in black-purple sheets. It was clear that his strength was faltering since eventually he was blasted against the wall, where he remained stuck as the cure destroyed the corruption that he’d wrapped himself in. 

At the end of it, there was no Hawkmoth. Only Gabriel, who stood with his eyes closed for a moment before collapsing to the ground, unconscious. 

“You… you did it! That was amazing, LB- Ladybug?” He realized she hadn’t moved yet, except to let her hand dangle by her side again. “Bugaboo. Talk to me! Please!”

There was no answer. She collapsed to the ground, her transformation breaking down at the same time.


	27. Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the final battle against Hawkmoth.

Sensation came back slowly. As she stirred into consciousness, she could feel the warmth of sunlight on her face, the light hiding beyond her closed eyes. Her brow furrowed in confusion. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but sunlight felt out of place. Memories flowed slowly, as if moving through water. Her eyes opened and Marinette found herself staring up at her skylight. She grimaced against the sudden light and squinted. 

An attempt to raise her arm to shield her arms ended with her sucking in a breath when lances of pain shot through her. She gritted her teeth and tried to sit up. It took a few moments of focus to get her limbs to obey, but she finally managed it… only to regret it as another shockwave of pain wracked her body. 

Suddenly, there was a sound of someone moving down below, bare footsteps climbing her ladder. A mop of blonde hair crested the side and her eyes met wide green ones. Upon seeing her, the worry in his eyes was replaced with relief. He crawled over the bed, carefully avoiding touching her as he got close.

With the lightest, most tender touch, he put a hand on her cheek. “Are you alright? How are you feeling? What’s hurting? Is there anything I can do for you? Can-”

She put her hand over his mouth. “One thing at a time, please.” She grimaced at the pain of the action. 

“Hang on.” He pulled pillows together behind her, and gently lowered her to them. She sighed in relief. The pain was manageable and she was still sitting up. “Okay… how do you feel?”

“I…” She considered lying and saying she was fine, but one look at his earnest expression made her feel too guilty to do so. “Pretty much everything hurts. My head feels fuzzy. I’m having trouble remembering how I got here.”

A faint smile played at his lips. “Well, the last one makes sense at least. I brought you here after the fight.”

“Fight…?” Shock poured down her spine as memories started flooding back to her. Finding Chat Noir in tears. Hawkmoth’s identity. The fight beneath the mansion. “Oh God. Hawkmoth! Did he-”

His took her hand in his and whispered, “We beat him, m’lady. You were amazing.”

She bit her lower lip. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask, but she wasn’t sure where to start. While he seemed happy to see her awake-

“Wait, how long was I out for?”

“Just over two days,” came a voice at her shoulder. Tikki smiled softly as she turned to look at her. “Adrien hasn’t left your side for more than a few minutes at a time. He’s been keeping a close eye on you.”

Her jaw dropped. Two days…? No wonder everything felt so stiff. “Is that why everything hurts so much?”

She watched Adrien and Tikki exchange a look. Adrien cleared his throat. “You channeled a lot of energy, bugaboo. You’ll feel better. Eventually. Master Fu said so himself.”

“You talked with him already?”

“Yeah, I- Well, let’s start at the beginning, okay?” At her nod, Adrien took a deep breath. “So, after you used your cure to… well, destroy the corruption that my- that Hawkmoth was using, you collapsed and your transformation dropped.”

Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened. “Did he-”

Adrien shook his head. “Same thing happened to Hawkmoth. He was out cold too. Anyway, when your transformation dropped, I wasn’t tied up any more-”

“Sorry,” she said with a wince. She remembered looking up at his eyes as they parted, seeing the fear and panic there. If she could stop him from ever looking like that again, she would.

Running a hand through his hair, he replied, “Don’t worry about it. I know you were just trying to save me. And you finally woke up, so I’m feeling in a forgiving mood.” There was a flicker of a smile before he continued with his story. “Anyway… I went over to you and- you were… so still. So cold.” He choked up and she wrapped her hand around his and gave it a squeeze. Once he regained his composure, he continued. “I picked you up and was about to leave before Tikki reminded me to grab the butterfly miraculous and take you to Fu’s. Then _she_ passed out.”

Her thumb began tracing circles on the back of his hand as he took a few breaths. While she waited for him to collect himself, she let her eyes wander over him. When she thought of his hair as a mop earlier, she wasn’t far off. It was definitely more like the messy Chat hair than the perfectly styled hairdo she was used to seeing in his civilian form. There were unmodel-like bags under his eyes, his entire body seemed to sag and bend under some great weight. And yet… here he was. Asking about her. Filling her in. Keeping her company. Her heart swelled with affection for him just as he continued.

“Master Fu got to work right away. I don’t know exactly what he did, but he said something about burnout and life force. I was… kind of panicking, so I don’t remember much. After a couple hours he said I could take you home. I left the miraculous with him and did just that.” His eyes glanced toward the clock. “It’s getting close to time for him to show up, actually. I’m sure he’ll be glad to see the treatment is holding. We can ask him more when he gets here.”

She tried to sit up straight and regretted it immediately. “WHAT?! He’s coming here?! What about my parents, how are we going to explain-” At that moment, the door to her room opened and she heard her parents enter. 

“Adrien? Are you talking with-” With how tall her papa was, he saw her first. “Marinette! You’re finally awake!” His eyes were already misting over as he covered his mouth with his hands.

“H-hey, papa, mom!” Out of the corner of her mouth, she whispered, “Tikki, hide!”

To her surprise, Adrien shook his head. “Don’t worry, they know. Fu said it was fine and even if he didn’t… They deserved to know after all that.”

Then she was facing a barrage of questions and coddling from her parents. More blankets were fetched for her, pillows were fluffed, soup was made. All the while, she kept glancing at Adrien out of the corner of her eyes. He stayed sitting at her side, a faint smile at his lips, but pain in his eyes. Once her parents were satisfied that she was feeling better, they stepped out and Marinette tapped at Adrien’s forehead.

“What’s going on up here, kitty? You’ve been awfully quiet about how you’re feeling.” He looked away, but Marinette tugged him closer. She glanced at Tikki. “So it was two days I missed, right?” Tikki gave her a quizzical look but nodded. She looked back to Adrien and suddenly pulled him towards her, giving him three pecks on the cheek, murmuring ‘I love you’ after each one. She let him go and she was pleased to see a blush spread across his face and reached his ears. “I think that catches us up. Are you ready to talk now?”

“Y-yeah.” Deep breath. “After I explained everything to your parents, I went to get my- to get Gabriel. He hadn’t moved since I left, hours earlier. I brought him to Fu too, but… he’s not sure. He got it a lot worse than you did and there has been no change since he was admitted to the hospital. Fu still needs to check on-” He choked on the words, but she understood who he meant. Who they saw down below.

She held his hand while he stared off into the distance. “They got the Gorilla and held him for a few days, but couldn’t find anything to pin on him. Squeaky clean, let him out of jail this morning. Nathalie… she’s missing. People think she might have fled the country, but there’s no sign of her.”

“...What about you?”

An amused smile warmed his features. “Chat Noir vouched for his innocence, claimed that it was Adrien who let him and Ladybug know.”

She pushed an errant lock of hair out of his face. “That was sweet of him. I always said Chat was a stand up kind of guy.”

He laughed honestly and it was music to her ears. “I’ll pass along the message.”

After waiting for a few minutes, it became clear that he wasn’t going to continue. “What else?”

Shrugging, he replied, “Nothing, really. Bad guys got justice, good guys won. What else is there to say?”

“ _You_! How do _you_ feel, you stupid boy?!” He looked startled by the concern dripping from her voice.

“I…” His lips pressed into thin lines. “I think I’m past sadness at this point. The shock has worn off. It wasn’t much of a family but… me, Gabriel, Nathalie, the Gorilla… it was kind of all I had for a long time, you know? And now it’s gone.”

“For what it’s worth, I’m still here - and my parents, and our kwamis, not to mention our friends. We might not be your family by blood, but we love you, Adrien.” Her hand stroked his cheek. “I love you.”

“I know.” He placed a kiss against her palm. His eyes were watery as he looked at her. “I love you too.”

There was a knock at her trapdoor, startling both of them. “Marinette? Adrien? May I enter?” 

“Come in!” 

There was a pause. “Ah, good. You have awoken. Your resilience continues to impress, young one.” Master Fu’s head crested the edge of her bed. “I am sure you have questions. Feel free to ask.”

“What… happened, exactly?”

“To put it succinctly? Your usage of the most powerful tool at your disposal, combined with the energies of the black cat, flooded your body.” He spoke matter-of-factly, stroking his beard. “That power was too much for you and for a moment, it extinguished your life force.”

“That- What? That sounds fatal.” Marinette felt Adrien gripping her hand almost painfully as he struggled to keep a brave face on. She chose not to comment for his sake - she needed the comfort about as much as he did. 

“Normally, it would be. But Chat Noir’s life force acted as a sort of pilot light, keeping you in the realm of the living.” His eyes glanced between them. “Do you understand now? The power is too much for one person to survive, and a strong bond allows the burden to be shared.”

Stunned, they both nodded. 

“Good. I have brought some tonic for you, Marinette. Your recovery will be slow, but between this tonic and the vitality the miraculous affords you, it will be assured.”

He seemed about to continue when there was a loud yawn from below. Plagg floated up to where they were seated. “Oh hey, Pigtails. What’d I miss?”


	28. Community Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir relucantly attend a banquet in their honor.

“...And it is my hope that our heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, will respond as quickly as they are able to this offer. Thank you for your time.” Mayor Andre gave a nod of his head and stepped away from the podium, ignoring the sudden wall of questions from reporters in the audience.

Marinette turned off the television just before the news anchor began their commentary. The mayor had made the proposal just yesterday and it was still a major piece of news - all the more reason she had been considering it. People seemed worried that they hadn’t seen either of their heroes in over a week. 

Marinette looked over at her partner. It had been a few days since she had woken up and recovery was proving slow. Just walking down the stairs and into the living room had been exhausting. The one good news is that the pain had largely subsided and with the help of some painkillers there wasn’t much more than a dull throbbing when she moved. All of this added complications to the mayor’s offer of a charity banquet in their honor.

“They don’t _need_ us to go,” Adrien began, still looking at the blank television, his face shadowed by the one light above them. It was getting late, but before Marinette could go to sleep they needed to decide on what they were going to do.

“Maybe, but if we promise to attend, then they will definitely be able to sell more tickets for a higher price.” She frowned. “Besides, the whole thing is in _our_ honor. If we don’t go, it might not even happen.”

He looked into her eyes and she saw the concern that was plain on his face. “We don’t know if you’ll be better by then. And the more rest you get-”

Throwing her hands up with only a twinge of pain, she exclaimed, “I’m already getting rest, Adrien. One night at a public event won’t undo all that.”

“It might.” He crossed his arms, but she could tell he was starting to waver.

“I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than you think, kitty.”

“I suppose…”

“We need to let Paris know that we’re still out here, watching over them. That the good guys won and they are still protected. Besides,” she held out her arms as an invitation and Adrien sat beside her on the couch and held her in his embrace, “we’ll be going together. I know you’ll be right there if I need help.”

“Just like always,” he said as kissed the top of her head. After a few minutes, he swept her up into his arms and carried her back upstairs. Normally, she’d insist that she walk up herself, but she was only barely awake at that point. 

In fact, by the time her head hit her pillow, she was asleep. But Adrien didn’t lay down beside her like usual. Instead, Chat Noir left through the skylight.

They might be going to this banquet, but he was going to be sure it was on their terms. 

\-----------------

Another week passed before the day of the banquet arrived. Despite Marinette’s most fervent hopes, she hadn’t improved a whole lot more in the meantime. The only saving grace was that she hadn’t needed to go to school since it was winter break. While that didn’t help her figure out how she was going to handle the banquet, it at least meant that she hadn’t had to miss school. 

Adrien knelt down in front of her as she brushed her hair and rested his arms on her knees. “Don’t worry about it, Marinette. I borrowed a wheelchair and stashed it at the place the banquet is being held. I can carry you there if I need to.” 

“Thanks, Adrien. But…” She frowned. “I don’t know if the building they will be using is wheelchair accessible.”

“Well he promised it would be so-” He was silenced when she put a hand over his mouth.

“Woah there kitty. Who promised?”

He blinked innocently at her as she removed her hand. “I… might have visited the mayor and made some… requests. To make sure that they were as accommodating as possible.”

"Adrien! You know I don’t want you to coddle me!”

"It was more for my sake, my lady. If I saw you swamped by a bunch of nosy, prodding reporters while you're recovering from a _near fatal magical overload_ , I might get a little testy." He flashed her his biggest, most innocent smile.

As much as she wanted to be upset about him going behind her back to do this, she couldn’t find it in herself to be anything but grateful. It meant that she wouldn’t have to push herself too hard to make it through tonight.

So, with a sigh, she leaned forward to press a kiss to his forehead. “Thanks, chaton.” She shooed him off so she could stand up. “I think it’s about time we headed out, don’t you think?” He smiled and nodded. “Tikki, spots on!”

“Plagg, claws out!”

Marinette felt more stable once the suit was on, but she understood it was only a temporary measure. She stepped over to her bed and grabbed the skirt she would be wearing for the evening. 

“Oh! You’re getting dressed.” Chat said with mock surprise. “Let me just turn away for a moment.” 

She snorted as she slipped the black skirt on over her suit. Now it just looked like she was wearing a long sleeved dress. He turned his back to her and moved over to her dresser, where he had stored a lot of his spare clothes. He’d practically moved in during the time she had been unconscious and she couldn’t help but be grateful. Having him constantly nearby had done wonders in keeping her sane. She wasn’t sure she’d have been able to endure being cooped up otherwise. And something told her the same was true for him. 

“Ta-da!” She looked up at him and grinned. Fastened under his bell was a red bow tie that matched her suit. 

Hip checking him, she cooed, “Ooo, you’re looking more handsome than usual, kitty.”

He placed a kiss on her hand. “And you are absolutely stunning, bugaboo.” She squeaked when he swiftly scooped her up into his arms. “Shall we leave?”

“Paris awaits us,” she said and kissed his cheek. 

The trip didn’t take too long - possibly by luck, possibly because Adrien had picked out a venue that was close by. Either way, they arrived within ten minutes of running along rooftops. They snuck in the backdoor, let in by the sparse staff milling about in the back halls. When she left Chat Noir’s arms, it was to be put into a wheelchair that had been left waiting for her. As much as she preferred walking on her own, regardless of the pain, she had to admit that it was nice to have her beloved partner pushing her along. 

She braced herself for the crowd as the massive double doors opened before them, only to be surprised when the great room seemed sparsely occupied. Sure, the massive size was probably making the crowd seem smaller, but still…

“Another concession I won for you,” Chat whispered in her ear. “Limited tickets and only a couple reporters. And don’t worry - those tickets were sold at auction to the highest bidders. Plenty of money got raised anyway and you don’t get swarmed. Win-win, right?”

The knot of worry in her gut untwisted and she let out a relieved sigh. Another problem that her doting boyfriend had anticipated and fixed in advance. Although even now, there was a surprised murmur going through the well-dressed party goers as Chat pushed her towards the seat of honor at the back. There was a table and two ornate chairs with high backs placed at the end of a red carpet that went down the middle of the room. All the decorations existed to direct attention to it, and that’s where Marinette would be spending the rest of the night.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Getting attention as Ladybug was nothing out of the ordinary, of course. But she wasn’t quite used to this kind of attention. 

A few hours went by as party goers would stop and visit. Practically everyone here was a celebrity of some kind. Some were familiar. Jagged Stone shook both of their hands and promised an epic rock song commemorating their victory over evil. Despite his outward excitement at the prospect, she could feel the hollowness of Chat’s smile. 

It hadn’t been that long ago that he’d found out his father was Hawkmoth. He’d practically thrown himself into caring for her and she knew he did it out of love, but at least part of the zeal behind it had to be just distracting himself. If helping her was keeping him sane, then she’d be willing to swallow her pride and let herself be helped. But she knew that it would be a long and difficult road of recovery for the both of them… and there was no magic tonic to help heal Chat.

Unless, of course, one considered love to be a magic tonic.

Their last guest was Nadja, one of the few reporters allowed into the party. One of the few concessions Chat had been forced to give into was a small interview. And although Marinette was completely drained by the time that interview came around, she knew that it had to be done. This was a big reason she’d wanted to do this banquet after all - to give peace of mind to the people of Paris. 

The first few questions were about what she expected. How they found out about Hawkmoth, how the battle went down, what happened to her. Withholding only a few key details - such as the location of that final showdown - they explained as best they could. 

“Nathalie Sancoeur, the assistant of Gabriel Agreste, is believed to have fled Paris once the discovery of Hawkmoth’s identity was made clear. Do you have any intentions of assisting in the manhunt for her?” 

“No,” Marinette said, sparing Chat from having to comment. “She is not armed with a miraculous, meaning that law enforcement will be more than adequate to catch her. Besides, we have no intention of scouring the rest of France, which would leave Paris unguarded.”

“Speaking of the Agreste household - can you tell us what has become of Adrien Agreste? After your fight with Hawkmoth, he seems to have completely vanished.” 

“Don’t worry about him,” Chat chimed in with a smile. “He’s perfectly safe and being cared for. It was agreed that some time outside the spotlight would be the best for him in these tough times.”

“It was a brave thing he did for Paris. I’m sure most Parisians would agree that he deserves a vacation,” Nadja said with a polite smile. “And what about his father, Hawkmoth? What were his goals, should he have ever succeeded in capturing your miraculous?”

Marinette thought back to the underground complex with its webs of pipes all funneled into the glass sarcophagus that housed his ‘dead’ wife.

“The sad truth is that we may never know,” Marinette lied. “Unless Hawkmoth himself tells us, of course.”

“Speaking of which - do you have any idea what caused Gabriel Agreste’s coma? Or if he will ever wake up?”

“His abuse of the miraculous is to blame for the coma. As for when he will wake up, that’s anybody’s guess. Magic can be very unpredictable.”

Nadja made some notes before looking back up at them and smiling. “I just have a few more questions. Nothing nearly so heavy as the previous, but no less important to some people.” Her eyes gleamed as she looked between them. “It has been plain to most people today that you two seem closer than ever…”

At one point, having to dodge questions about her relationship with Chat Noir would’ve been annoying. Now that the two of them had laid their feelings of each other out, it was almost fun to give Nadja the run around. It wouldn’t be a good idea to confirm their relationship… not yet, anyway. 

But it was her last question that gave them both pause.

“Now that Hawkmoth has been defeated and his miraculous taken away… What’s next for the heroes of Paris?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning - there will be a bit of a time jump for the next chapter as we enter the final stage of the story. Nothing too extreme, though.


	29. Kwami Swap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Several years later, Marinette and Adrien swap kwamis as the final stage of their training

Landing on one of the towers of the Notre Dame Cathedral, Marinette slowly stood and looked out over the city of Paris, marvelling at the view her new senses afforded her. No wonder Adrien had always loved to patrol at night. Seeing the city bathed in moonlight through the magically enhanced sight of the black cat miraculous was a wonder. But as her tail flicked back and forth with a mind of its own, she realized it wasn’t all perks. She stilled it with a moment of focus.

Five years of using the ladybug miraculous saw her hands go toward her ears when she heard the beeping, but she caught sight of the ring’s paws before they reached that far. She still had a few minutes before the transformation ended, but here was as good a place as any to recharge. 

Stepping into the shadows of the old cathedral, she willed her transformation off. “Claws in.” 

Plagg appeared with a yawn and a stretch. “About time. You’ve been out for ages, Pigtails. You tryin’ to wear me out?”

“Can’t have you causing mischief in our new house, now can we?” She scratched at his ears as she handed him a hunk of camembert. “Besides, we need to learn about each other’s miraculous and the best way to do that is practice. Not my fault you’re lazy.”

He grumbled as he chewed his precious cheese. “Normally takes a lot longer to master the miraculous… thought I’d have at least a few more years before this swap business.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She took a seat against the old stones, looking up at the bells.

It helped that she and Adrien had always had a strong connection, one that had only improved after revealing their identities. After Hawkmoth however, they didn’t have much to test themselves against. There had been challenges, but nothing that came quite as close as their old archenemy. Their improvement had slowed, and for a while they were worried they wouldn’t be able to achieve their goal. 

“You’re taking to this pretty well, Bakery Girl.” Plagg grinned, revealing his tiny fangs. “Now I’m curious what having you as my kitten from the start would have been like. Imagine the trouble we could have gotten into without those rules that kept Adrien down.”

She shook her head with a smile. “I don’t think I qualify as ‘bakery girl’ any more, Plagg. We moved out, remember?” In fact, she was pretty sure that little step had been what finally pushed them into this stage of their training - they had hardly been in their new place for a week when the kwami suggested this little exercise.

“Maybe. But the point remains.”

“Given all the stolen phones and complex plots I came up with back then, maybe it was better for Paris if I didn’t have you egging me on from the shadows.”

Plagg groaned. “But that would have been _hilarious_. We could have ruled the world!”

“And here I thought Adrien was the dramatic one…” She mumbled under her breath.

“What was that, Pigtails?” He looked at her suspiciously.

“Nothing, nothing.”

“Well… anyway… I suppose it’s for the best I got stuck with the kid. _He_ needed someone pushing him to do things. Tikki would’ve just had him hunker down and go with the flow.” He scoffed. “Not me. Kid needed some havoc in his life.”

“Yeah… I suppose he did. He never had a lot of people in his corner, able to tell him that he wasn’t being treated right.” She watched him for a few moments before adding. “I’m glad he had you, Plagg. I really appreciate you taking care of him for all that time.” 

He ate in silence. She stood up and moved to the entryway. Her view of the city wasn’t quite as amazing as it had been when she was behind the mask, but it was still breathtaking. She hoped that she would never get tired of seeing Paris from above. 

“It wasn’t just me, you know.” She turned back to see Plagg floating in place, looking off into the distance. He’d stopped eating - it must be important. “He always had you. It was kinda annoying at the time, how much he’d gush about the love he felt.” He made a gagging sound, then looked over to her and grinned. “I’m glad you two idiots figured it out. I’m sure how much more of it I could take, but at least he’s happier now. Even if it was… rough there, after the dearly departed Gabe went all final form on us.”

“Final form?”

“Ugh, the kid has always watched too much anime. There’s only so much I can ignore.”

Laughing, she walked back over. “Ready to finish up _paw-trol_?”

“If it will make sure you don’t make any more puns in my presence, then sure. Let’s go.”

“Claws out!”

\----------------------------------

Adrien cut off the tape from another box and peered inside. Despite having been labeled ‘dishes’ - in his own handwriting, no less - it instead contained fabrics. He sighed and looked around the room, barren except for a couch and boxes. It had been over a month since they’d moved in here and it felt like they hadn’t even made a dent in the number of boxes they had left to unpack. Just as he started to prowl around for unopened containers to look through, a tiny voice made him turn around. 

“Wait, Adrien! The dishes are in here, the fabrics are just being used for padding.”

He walked back over to where Tikki was pointing. Sure enough, there were the pots and pans that papa had bought them before leaving. He brought the wok out and twirled it in his hands. One of the many benefits to working in the same kitchen as mama Cheng was that he could finally learn how to cook - especially his girlfriend’s favorites. As he pulled out the ingredients for tonight’s late dinner, Tikki watched from her perch on his shoulder.

“Is this the spicy stir fry?” At his nod, she giggled. “I’m sure Marinette will appreciate coming home to that smell.”

“It’s the least I can do, for everything she’s done for me.” Where would he be without her? Probably still alone in that big, empty mansion. 

“The relationship hasn’t been exactly one sided, you know.” It sounded vaguely like a chastisement. “I know how much she appreciates you, and I’m sure you know that too.”

“Well, yeah, I know, but-”

“I remember how doting and protective you were over her when she was still recovering. Even when the process started to… slow down.”

Despite their best hopes, Marinette had stayed weakened by her brush with death for well over a year. Sure, she had left the wheelchair after a few months, but that was more because of her own stubbornness rather than any sudden breakthroughs. Through it all, he stayed by her side and helped her work through her frustration as the healing dragged on.

“Well, she needed me. How could I turn my back on her then?”

She twirled in the air until she was in front of him as he began chopping vegetables. “It’s only because of the powerful bond that you shared that she survived in the first place. Others… weren’t so fortunate.”

The chopping stopped for a moment, a silent prayer for the departed, before continuing.

“She was able to lean on you then, and she leans on you today.”

“I’m more than happy to help her out.” He smiled gently as he turned the oven on. “But really, these days it’s not _that_ big of a deal.”

“I’ve been in her life before you, remember.” She waggled her paw in front of him. “She’s not as overworked with you around - and not just because you’re an extra pair of hands,” she added when he opened his mouth to protest. “You’ve got a lot of experience with tight schedules, and during her busiest hours you keep her sane.” She sighed and murmured, “I know things are tumultuous right now. But as long as you two love each other, you’ll be able to make it through.”

He sniffled and held out a hand for the kwami to land on, placing a light kiss on the side of her large head. “Thanks, Tikki. I needed to hear that.”

With everything that was happening - her applications to university, her design commissions, his freelance modeling, the moving - Marinette and him hadn’t gotten to spend much time together. But Tikki was right. This stress was temporary while they got settled into their new lives, but they had something much longer lasting than that.


	30. Inspiration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien talk about what the future holds for them.

Their apartment was silent as Marinette put her earrings back in and Adrien slipped on his ring. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief as their kwami blinked back into existence from the brief exchange. Not just because of the return of their companions, but because after a month of learning how their other half lived… it was nice to return home. Metaphorically speaking. Being the black cat of Paris was fun, but Marinette loved being Ladybug and she knew Adrien felt the same way. 

Although… her time with Plagg always at her side did leave a lasting impact on her. Something that she needed to talk with Adrien about. She opened her mouth to speak.

“Adrien, I need to-”

“Marinette, there’s something I-”

They both blinked at each other before laughing. Adrien sat down on the couch and motioned for Marinette to take a seat beside her.

“Go ahead, bugaboo. I can wait a little while longer.” 

Normally, she’d be inclined to argue for politeness sake, but she was so filled with energy and excitement and not a little fear that she eagerly took the opportunity. She sat down and leapt straight into it.

“This last month with Plagg has really opened my eyes.” The kwami tilted his head from where he sat on Adrien’s shoulder. She gave him a thumbs up. “I’ve been stuck in this weird place after my recovery - always being tentative and overly cautious.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow and had an amused smile. “The two of us seem to remember your recovery very differently. I distinctly recall having to keep an eye on you to keep you from pushing yourself too fast and hurting yourself.”

“That’s because I was frustrated! It took me a year just to return to some sort of normal living and a few more years to get back up to my old self.” She ran her fingers through her hair to push it back, give her some outlet for the remembered frustration. “But the mindset of being overly careful sunk in with me and I’ve been struggling to get out of it ever since.” She took a deep breath. “I think I’m ready to make my next big push.”

“That’s great!” Adrien reached over and squeezed her hand. “So what’s the plan? Are you going to be going to university like you’ve been thinking?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m thinking bolder. I’ve already got a good commissions business going. I have celebrity contacts and a good name in the industry. All I need to get my brand off the ground is a little push and some hard work.”

To her relief, he didn’t seem to be horrified or even shocked. In fact, it looked like he was seriously considering her plan. She’d been scared that it was _too_ bold, that he’d accuse her of not ‘paying her dues’ to the industry. 

“It’ll be hard work,” he said as he rubbed his chin, looking just past her. “But with your talents and how the field is in shambles after…” he swallowed and his eyes became distant, “...after the Agreste brand imploded.” He looked back at her. “There is definitely a vacuum right now, and plenty of room for fresh talent.”

“I’m so sorry, Adrien, I know that-” He put a finger on her lips and gently shushed her. His hand drifted to her cheek and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers. 

“It’s okay. _I’m_ okay,” he said softly. “I’m just glad you’ll be able to make something beautiful out of all this sorrow. Nothing would make me happier than watching you soar up to where you belong - right to the top.”

As he pulled away, she asked, “Do you think I’ll be able to pull it off?”

“It will be tough, but you’ve got the talent and you’ve got some important patrons already.” He smiled a very Chat-like grin. “And you’ve got me, with all my years of experience living in the industry.”

“Kitty, I’m not going to make you-”

“You’re not making me do anything. I _want_ to help you succeed. I might even come out of retirement to do some modeling for you, free of charge.”

She intertwined her fingers with his. “Thank you, chaton. I appreciate- Wait.” His exact words caught up with her. “‘Come out of retirement’? What do you mean? I thought you were still modeling?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah about that… I was never really in love with it, and then with everything that’s happened since… I really just went along with it because it was all I knew.” He leaned forward and set his arms on his knees.

Scooting closer, she rubbed circles on his back. “So what changed your mind?”

“Tikki,” he said with a chuckle. “Talking with her, I realized that I have a family now, for the first time in… well, in a long time. I’ve got you, of course, but I’ve also mama Cheng and papa.” A sly smile lit up his features as he slipped an arm around her waist. “Now, while there has been plenty of benefits to moving in,” he pressed a kiss to her temple, “...I’ve also missed that sense of being surrounded by family.”

Wriggling free of his grasp with a smile, she said, “Please don’t tell me you want to move back in with them? I don’t think I can go back to my parents barging into my room at random times.”

He laughed, light and free. “No, no. I was just thinking that they’d like some extra hands at the bakery. And who knows? Business has been good for them these last couple years and they’ve been talking about opening another store lately…” 

“I’m sure they’d love to have you there. I know they’ve been feeling a little down ever since we left, so I bet they’ll jump at the opportunity to have you around.” She smirked. “And if that means you learn how to make even more yummy dishes, then I’m definitely not going to complain.”

“Now I _know_ you’ve been inspired by Plagg. You’re already thinking with your stomach.” The three of them shared a laugh while Plagg grumbled. “Before I commit to the bakery, I’ll finish up my remaining freelance contracts. While I’m there I can ask around to see if I can find some contacts for you. Maybe we can get you into a fashion show soon.”

“And I’ll be going over tomorrow to pick up some of our things that we left behind. I’ll mention you wanting to work there, maybe _bug_ them about it.” She winked.

His wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. “I love it when you pun, my lady.” He leaned down to catch her lips with his. 

She smiled against him. “It’s almost like I know it, centerfold.”

“Haven’t heard that one in a while.”

“Well, you won’t be a centerfold for much longer. I have to use it while it’s still relevant.”

He chuckled. “I guess you’re right.”

“Aren’t I always?”

“I won’t deny it.”

With wide, dopey grins they leaned in for another kiss when they heard a knock at the door.


	31. Waiting on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One final mission from Master Fu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the last chapter of Inseparable! It's been a journey, but we've made it. Now let's see where it all ends...
> 
> While I was writing the second half of this chapter, I was listening to this:
> 
> https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/intergalacticSoundscapeGenerator.php
> 
> I think it sets the mood quite nicely, so if you want some atmosphere (hah), then it's what I used.

The two of them exchanged a look before getting up, slowly and cautiously. It was late, past midnight and much later than they would expect any of their friends to drop by. Even assuming that they would appear without calling ahead first - both Adrien and Marinette lived busy lives, after all, and showing up unannounced was a good way to miss them entirely. So whoever was on the other side of that door knew they were there, despite how infrequently they were home or awake at this hour. 

Adrien crept ahead of his lady as he approached the door. Names ticked through his head as he tried to puzzle out who it could be. Nino had a DJ gig today. Alya would be sleeping. None of his model coworkers knew where he lived, and neither did most of their friends from lycee. They hadn’t been in this apartment for that long - they had only entertained guests a couple times so far. Ready to pounce if this turned out bad, he opened the door.

Looking up at him, peaceful as ever, was none other than Master Fu. A dark green bag with faded yellow symbols hung from his shoulder. 

“Greetings, young one.” He leaned to the side to look behind Adrien. “And hello to you as well, Marinette. I see the two of you have completed the final stage of your training.”

Marinette approached slowly. “How did you…?”

The old man smiled. “To those attuned to the flow of energy, it is clear as day. There is an unbreakable bond between the two of you.” His smile faded and his face became serious. “A bond that I am afraid I will have to test today.”

Pulling Marinette closer to him instinctively, Adrien eyed the old master suspiciously. “It’s been a while since we’ve talked and that’s one of the first things that you say?”

His hands rested on the gnarled old cane that he carried. “I understand your protectiveness, Adrien Agreste. But I promise you, this is for the good of all. Will you at least hear what I would ask of you?”

With a sigh, Adrien stood aside. “Okay, okay. I at least owe you that much.”

“At the very least,” Master Fu confirmed with a small smile. 

While Adrien sat back down to where, just a few minutes ago, he’d been occupied with kissing his girlfriend, Marinette pulled a chair in front of the couch and took her spot next to Adrien. Master Fu nodded his thanks as he settled into the repositioned chair. To Adrien’s immense surprise, the guardian almost seemed… uncertain. Not as composed as he remembered from his earlier years.

Wayzz appeared from Fu’s hawaiian shirt and floated above the others. Tikki and Plagg rose to meet him and the three of them sailed towards the kitchen, no doubt looking to scrounge for some snacks. Adrien watched them before returning his attention to Fu.

“I know that you don’t like to make house calls unless you absolutely have to,” Marinette said, finally breaking the silence. “So I understand that whatever you are here for, you consider to be very important.” She wrung her hands from nerves and Adrien settled one hand over them. “But I get the feeling you don’t like what you’re going to ask.”

After a moment, Master Fu nodded slowly. “You are correct. I am here because of this,” he reached into his bag and pulled out an object that Adrien was all too familiar with - the Peacock miraculous.

It had been years since he had seen it last, but it had been seared into his memory as the end of his family, such that it was. From what Master Fu had told him, it was what had made his mother fall into a coma, and his father’s possession of it was a major reason Adrien had realized his father was Hawkmoth. But Adrien also remember that it was…

“You want us to fix it,” Adrien blurted out. 

Fu’s eyes widened ever so slightly, but he nodded. “The creator of the miraculous is long gone. The secret knowledge and techniques of my order has been lost for over a century. The only power left in this world capable of restoring this miraculous is that of the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculous, working in tandem.”

Beside him, Marinette gasped. “You knew!” At Adrien’s confused look, she elaborated. “You knew that the Peacock was damaged from the beginning. All this time, I had wondered why you chose to send out the two miraculous that Hawkmoth had wanted but… it makes sense now. You needed us to fix the Peacock miraculous.”

“It was a gamble, but I had faith in the ones who I had chosen.” Master Fu’s eyes were resolute. “My faith was rewarded when you successfully returned the long missing miraculous. For that, I am grateful.” He bowed his head in respect. “I had resigned myself to wait for years for your powers to mature, but both of you became stronger far quicker than I had ever hoped. I simply wish that you had not been forced to access your abilities so prematurely.”

“But we were,” Adrien stated. “And now it sounds like you’re asking us to do it again.” His hand tightened around Marinette’s. 

“I understand that you feel trepidation after what happened last time…”

“I nearly watched the love of my life die!” Adrien growled. “You honestly think that-”

“Adrien.” Her voice was calm, but stern. His anger that had been slowly building up evaporated in an instant as his attention turned back to her. “We have to help. It’s our duty.”

He cupped her cheek and through the mask of determination she wore he could see the fear buried deep in her eyes. “...Haven’t you given enough already?” His voice broke as he added, “I don’t want to lose you. Not again.”

“Chaton…” She kissed his nose and pulled him close. “We have to do this. It’s something only we can do.” His arms wrapped around her so he could hold her tight. He buried his face into her shoulder. “If it isn’t us, then someone even less prepared will try and fail. Right, Master Fu?”

“Indeed. It is rare to see a pair as inseparable as you two. That bond will be your weapon and your armor in this coming battle.” Adrien heard the chair squeak and the sound of something being placed on the table. “You know where I live. Take all the time you need.” His voice became distant. “Good luck, young ones.”

The door closed behind him. The apartment was silent for a few minutes as Tikki and Plagg floated over the damaged miraculous. 

“Oh, poor Duusu… I can barely feel her presence. She must be so weak.” There was sadness in Tikki’s watery eyes. Plagg placed a comforting paw on her head.

“Don’t worry, Sugarcube. Won’t be too much longer before we’re one big happy family again…” he peered over his shoulder to Adrien, an uncharacteristic seriousness on his face. “...Right, kid?”

Adrien buried his face in his hands. “...Right, Plagg.”

Marinette’s hand rubbed circles on his back while her other one rested on his knee. She was quiet when she spoke. “I know you’re worried, mon chaton.” She wrapped her arms around him. “I am too.”

“I don’t know what we’re about to be getting ourselves into.” He returned her hug, holding her as tight as he could. “But I’m glad that it’s you that’s going to be by my side for this. For all of this. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better.” 

Her smile was weak but radiant, like a glimpse of the sun seen in a rainstorm. “You took the words right out of my mouth.” Brushing aside the nascent tears, she stood up. “Are you ready to start?”

“You want to do this now?” Adrien rose as well, glancing between the kwamis and the broken miraculous. 

“I’m afraid if I think about this too much then I’ll chicken out.”

A surprised laugh forced its way out of him. “That’s fair.” He turned to the kwami. “Do either of you need any recharging before we get started?”

“Kid, this goes against everything I stand for but... No, I’m full. Let’s do this.” Plagg narrowed his eyes and nodded at Adrien.

“I feel stronger than I have in generations.” Tikki swirled around Marinette’s head. “I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful chosen. Both of you are so brave.”

“So…” Adrien looked into the silvery metal of his ring. “How do we do this?”

“Traditionally, it starts with you transforming, ya dingus.” Plagg’s tail flicked back and forth irritatedly. 

“Yes, Plagg, I managed to figure that part out on my own. But what about _after_ that?”

Tikki floated into his field of view. “You have to remember, Adrien, that this isn’t a common event and we are always inside the miraculous when it happens. The only advice we can give you is to do the meditations as usual and just… focus your energy on Duusu’s miraculous. The rest should make itself clear.”

After a moment, Adrien nodded slowly. “Alright… let’s give this a shot then. Plagg, claws out!”

“Tikki, spots on!”

And just like that Chat Noir and Ladybug stood in the middle of their living room. It had been over a month since he’d gone through the familiar transformation and despite his fears, it felt like slipping into a favorite outfit. 

“Are you ready to start?” Adrien asked.

Ladybug nodded and put a pillow on the ground next to the table where the miraculous sat. She handed one to Adrien and nodded towards the opposite end of the table. Once they were seated, they locked hands and Adrien was reminded of old timey seances. Who knows? Maybe this is where they got the idea from in the first place. 

With a slight effort of will, he discarded his thoughts like he was shrugging off his jacket. His mind became unanchored and within moments he felt her presence beside him in a way that went beyond the physical. He didn’t have long to enjoy it, however, as he felt himself being pulled toward… something. The sensation of being moved was unlike anything he’d experienced yet during their meditation - he hadn’t even realized that was a thing that could happen.

But before he could make any sense of it, let alone figure out how to resist the pull, he felt himself collide with what he could only describe as a cloud that brushed painfully over his skin as he tore through it.

Wait.

Skin?

He opened his eyes and discovered that while he wasn’t outside his own body any more, he also wasn’t inside his apartment. He was laying on his back and staring up at the sky, which was fractal and reflective like lavender crystal. Large cracks broke up the patterns and from those cracks came red storm clouds that crackled with lightning as he struggled to get his bearings. Rolling over, he saw the ground was covered in a dull red dirt. As he stood up and looked to the horizon, he saw that same dirt spread out into infinity, utterly flat and barren. His ears perked up when he heard coughing and he whirled around toward the noise.

Ladybug was groaning as she sat up, her eyes widening as she took in her new surroundings. She gladly took the hand that he offered and they both stood in the open area, looking around.

“Any idea where we are, bugaboo?”

She was staring up at the clouds and crystal sky. “You ever wonder what the inside of a miraculous looks like?”

“I- You don’t really think…?” He frantically looked around at the desolation. His sympathy for the kwami increased - is this what they had to live in while waiting for new chosen?

“No… usually it is much more… pleasant.”

A tiny voice made both of them jump and they turned toward the source, already pulling out their weapons. Behind them floated a blue kwami with a large, beautiful tail that reminded him of a peacock. 

“...Duusu?” Adrien whispered as he stepped closer. Getting a better look, he realized that there were darker patches all along her body, her eyes were sunken, and even her tail seemed ragged and torn. “What… happened to you?”

“I’ve been trying to hold on…” The kwami sniffled. “But they can slip in through the cracks. I don’t think I can make it much longer… Not before they push me out completely.”

“Who? Who are ‘they’?”

“The darkness that seeps in from beyond. They’re coming.” The kwami coughed and Ladybug lunged to catch her as she dropped like a stone. “Please… help.”

Lightning struck and instead of thunder reaching his ears, he instead heard roars like those of wild animals. He looked toward the noise and saw creatures made of a substance like a dark purple, liquid shadow. The analogy of wild animals was accurate, to a point. They ran on four legs, and there was a sense of claws and fangs, but that was where the similarities ended. Just as he was getting ready to fight, he felt Ladybug slip something into his pocket.

“Take care of Duusu. I don’t know if she can handle any more punishment.”

“As you wish, my lady.” He extended his baton into a staff and settled into a defensive stance. “How about I take the dozens on the left and you take the ones on the right?”

“Duusu has been at this for ages, chaton. Beating these things is only part of the problem.” She pointed toward the cracks in the crystal. “I think we need to do something about those if we’re going to make any kind of real progress.”

“I don’t know how to even start fixing that, but before we can try…” The monsters were almost upon them. “...Let’s drive these things back.”

It had been years since the two of them had a fight that pushed them to their limits. Adrien had been worried that they would be rusty after all that time, but they rose to the challenge. Never before had he ever felt so in sync with his lady - no matter how hard the monsters pressed, they couldn’t manage to break their flawless defense. Despite their horrific appearance, the shadow creatures were individually taken down easily. Maybe it was because they didn’t need to worry about an innocent person being inside, or maybe they had just gotten that much stronger over the years, but it felt incredibly easy to destroy them. 

At least, the first few waves.

It quickly became clear that while they weren’t the most threatening on their own, they had numbers on their side and were slowly wearing them down. Hits began landing, sneaking their way through their defenses. Adrien began accumulating cuts. He could feel bruises forming on his skin. Growling, he pushed aside the pain and pressed on. In his focus, he began to hear a voice in the back of his head.

_Grab that one throw it into that one keep Chat’s back clear how to deal with the crystal sky don’t know keep fighting have to keep fighting_

He was surprised, but in recognizing the mental voice as belonging to his lady, he submerged himself entirely into the fight. 

Before long, he felt her surprise as well and the voice in his mind became stronger, more coherent. Without the burden of words, their reactions become as quick as thought. They lost themselves to a zen state of fighting, sinking further than they ever had before into a trance-like state. He wasn’t sure when he became they, but before long they controlled both bodies with one mind. 

Things became foggy after that point. The monsters kept pouring after them but they couldn’t make it within twenty meters before being erased like shadows by the sun. Their attention turned as one towards the crystal skies, the clouds evaporating as the crystal began regenerating. Their light became blinding and all that they remembered next was searing white light.

\------------------

Marinette woke up in her apartment. Her back hurt as she pulled herself out of the awkward angle that she had been sleeping in, draped over the edge of the couch behind her. In front of her, Adrien had sprawled out on the floor. Her heart skipped a beat in panic and she stared breathlessly at him, fearing the worst. As she stared, however, she saw his chest rise and fall like she always did late at night. She crawled over to him and shook his shoulder, wincing at the sunlight streaming in through the windows. 

It was at this point she realized she was no longer in her suit. That wasn’t too surprising - she could go long stretches of time these days transformed but after what they did-

Her eyes widened as she remembered what it was they had been trying to do. While Adrien groggily sat up, pawing at his eyes, Marinette turned her attention toward the miraculous sitting on the table. 

Floating above it was a blue, smiling kwami. Adrien noticed her too. 

“Hey, boss,” Adrien croaked with a smile. “Looks like we did it.” 

He reached over to brush away the tears she didn’t realize she’d been shedding and she immediately launched herself into Adrien’s arms. Marinette’s heart was so full of joy it was close to bursting. They’d done it. Neither of them had gotten hurt, and they could go on with their lives unburdened by the past.

\-----------------

Down below, in a place running on backup generators and reserve power, only a single light flickered above a sarcophagus of glass and metal and and doubtless a touch of magic. 

Inside was a woman. 

She opened her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, I finish my contribution to Ladynoir July 2019, Inseparable. It has been a fun story to write, especially puzzling out how their powers would blend and grow. And, as always, it has been a pleasure seeing the two of them fall for each other once again. They're together and they've got their plans for the future - what more could they ask for?
> 
> The comments on this story were especially wonderful and they kept me going even when I was struggling to find inspiration. I hope you all will join me in finishing up Adrien AUG-Reste and the smattering of shorter stories that I have planned for September.


End file.
